Greater Victoria Eldercare Foundation, Vancouver Island Health Authority and Saanich Parks and Recreation partnered to host Finding Home seniors dialogues at Hillside Seniors Health Centre. Today was our first dialogue and I thought I’d share some of the highlights. 14 seniors from diverse backgrounds gathered for the dialogue. They represent 8 provinces and 5 countries. Their work experience includes the military, international development, kindergarten teacher, yoga teacher, illustrator, nursing, business coaching and violence against women prevention and intervention.

Imagine this gathering of elders sharing what home means to them and why it matters. For many, home meant things like having good neighbours, living in a peaceful environment, a place where you feel connected to neighbours and the community. Upon reflection they came up with a common definition of home:

“Home is where the heart is. It is both external, a place I call home, and internal, a sense of comfort within myself.”

And an ingredient that they see as essentiel to creating a sense of home is love. One senior explained:

“Love creates a sense of home. Everyone needs to love and be loved.”

The dialogue participants identified their top Finding Home priorities as: How To Make Connections and How to Deal with Transitions. Stay tuned as we explore these topics over the next couple of weeks.

Hillside Seniors Health Centre Finding Home Dialogues