'It's very depressing': Saskatoon group brings holiday joy to seniors

It was a special Wednesday at Porteous Lodge in Saskatoon when some Christmas joy was spread around the dining hall.

Saskatoon Home Support’s Adopt-A-Senior program brought Santa, a parade, some Christmas carols and presents for some older adults who might be feeling a little lonely this time of year.

“So many older adults have family, but they are in other cities, other countries even,” said Lona Finney, owner of Saskatoon Home Support. “And it is very depressing just not to have anybody close to you during the holidays.”

Staff at Porteous Lodge say some of the biggest challenges at any tie of year are fighting loneliness, helplessness and boredom.

“Christmas can be a time of absolute joy for a lot of us, and it can also be a time of hurt,” said Laurie Marple-Ross, vice president of quality care and safety at Porteous Lodge. “So it’s fun when our staff and our residents get to get together and have a little bit of joy and celebrate the season.”

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And while events like this are special, Marple-Ross says it doesn’t take much to brighten someone’s day.

“It doesn’t have to be a big grand event like the Christmas parade,” she said. “It can be something as sitting with a resident, reading with them, getting to know them, learning about their history, or like the generous people that help with [Saskatoon] Home Support, making that donation so that they have a package to open that’s tailored to them.”

For residents like Marie Hanson, events like this help get everyone in the holiday spirit.

“They try and get people into it,” said Hanson. “They have Christmas concerts and stuff, and they have other events. A few weeks ago, they took us to the Festival of Trees, and I enjoyed that.”

Hanson recognizes the day-to-day efforts of the staff of Porteous Lodge, and she knows it takes a lot of volunteers to put on events too.

“For a place like this to put on an event like this, we need our volunteers,” she said. “And it’s quite nice to have a lot of volunteers.”

Saskatoon Home Support has been doing the program for 20 years with around 300 seniors adopted each year. Finney says with the help of volunteers, they’re looking forward to spreading more cheer next year.

“We hope to do more next year,” she said. “We just started with a new home this year, so next year we’re hoping to have their entire home that we can adopt.”