Coronavirus: Winnipeg seniors embrace technology to stay connected during pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has left more seniors isolated in their homes and distanced from loved ones, but some people are trying to help.

Peggy Prendergast has been teaching art classes virtually through a program from the Good Neighbours Active Living Centre.

“In my mind there’s been a lot of good to come out of the pandemic. I fell and broke my hip two years ago and I have mobility problems and there are others like me at my age. I think we will keep going with the virtual classes and be able to offer them,” she said.

The 88-year-old retired teacher says embracing technology has allowed her to keep her social life alive through the pandemic.

“I live alone and I’m totally isolated and so are some of the other people,” she said.

“The isolation is the biggest issue for older adults and I kept thinking to myself in prison if you are bad you get put in solitary and I kept thinking what have I done that’s so bad that I have to be in solidary? My grandkids are all grown up and they won’t come because of the danger to me.”

Martin Landy the Senior Resource Coordinator for the South Winnipeg Resource Council had always known there was an opportunity to get seniors more engaged with technology but that need became even more urgent when the pandemic hit.

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Landy says he received federal government funding for 12 iPads for seniors in the community.

“We went looking for seniors who were isolated and who didn’t have a lot of technology knowledge and connected them with iPads and a training program to help them beat a COVID winter in Winnipeg,” he said.

“There was difficulty in the beginning because of the touch sensitive screen. We have seniors with arthritis or declining sensations in their fingertips. One of the things we did to help alleviate that was get the rubber tip pens. They help give direction for someone with a shaky hand so that helped. The second thing we did was we taught them Zoom as quickly as we could.”

Landy’s initial launch of the program is coming to an end this spring, but he hopes to expand the program and allow more seniors the ability to connect virtually with others.