CORAH a hit at Strait NSCC campus

October 9, 2024

Seniors throughout Inverness County can look forward to even more programming as Strait CORAH resumes this month following a successful first year.

Michele MacPhee, project coordinator at Strait CORAH (Centre for Rural Aging and Health) at the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) campus in Port Hawkesbury, says they saw close to 300 people from 47 different communities participate in the various programs offered since last fall.

“It’s really exciting,” she says, noting that programming is open to residents aged 55 years and up in the counties of Inverness, Richmond, Antigonish and Guysborough. “It’s taken a little bit of time to get the word out there, but we really have had a successful pilot year.

Funded through the Nova Scotia Department of Seniors and Long-Term Care, CORAH was first launched in 2019 at the NSCC campus in Middleton. It was expanded last fall to campuses in Shelburne and Port Hawkesbury.

“We’re not replicating things that are already being done in communities,” MacPhee says. “We try to offer programs and presentations that may not be found in your backyard.”

“We had this forest bathing session at the beginning of last year,” she explains. “It was offered by the Natural Resources and Environmental Technology faculty.”

“It’s a Japanese concept and it’s an ancient practice which works with being mindful in nature – going into the woods and using your senses to create a mindful experience for yourself.”

MacPhee says the Strait campus allows the program to “leverage an asset that’s already being used” without additional costs of renting a space, heat, and lights.

“One of the things that’s been popular for us is the cooking program,” she notes. “We have access to a state-of-the-art facility and kitchen and an incredible facilitator in Sharon MacEachern from Judique. She’s been offering a lot of our cooking programs.”

“We know that food insecurity is an urgent issue right now, that food prices are exorbitant,” she explains. “We provide an opportunity for folks to cook together, create a meal, learn some new recipes, learn how to buy in bulk and go away with a meal as well.”

“Some folks are there for the social aspect, and they know how to cook already. And then there are bachelors who maybe never acquired those skills in their lifetime, and now they’re widowed and having to learn these skills for the first time.”

She says CORAH participants are learning new things, but also getting the opportunity to socialize in a way that maybe they didn’t during Covid times.

“When I think back to Covid, I think a lot of us realized how important social activity is for our health and well-being, and when you weren’t able to get out, it really had an impact on our mental health.”

One couple who has taken advantage of that opportunity is Dave and Camille Chapman of Judique, who have taken part in a number of workshops, including sessions on wills and sleep.

“It’s been great,” says Dave. “It’s a 60 km round trip for us, so we don’t just go in for the coffee!”

“Although we’ve lived out in Judique for 30 years, we still have a lot of connections in Port Hawkesbury, and we enjoy meeting people that maybe we hadn’t seen for a long time,” he adds.

Michelle Greenwell, a member of Strait CORAH’s advisory committee and one of its regular presenters during the pilot year, says she’s encouraged by the interest shown by participants.

“For a first year, it really blossomed,” she says, noting that “the numbers really got stronger as we went into May and June.”

“There were some great conversations. There was never a dull moment.”

Greenwell, who lives in Hillsborough, near Mabou, says CORAH was a perfect fit for her, as she has been working with seniors for years. This yearshe hosted a regular Tai Chi program, as well as sessions on sleep, and another on tea recipes for the summer.

“I have the potential to do a lot of self-care workshops,” she says of Strait CORAH’s second year.
“The sleep one was well-received. I think it could easily be run again.”

She says the advisory committee will meet to assess the first year, and to plan what will be offered during the program’s second season.