The Adult Day Programs at Actionmarguerite St. Boniface went silent during the pandemic but are now back up and running, bringing connection and friendship to the lives of up to 21 participants at a time. “For me, the biggest success of our day programs is that folks don’t have to be as lonely,” shares Sheila Bayta, Chief Human Resources Officer. “This is such a wonderful way to bring people together who don’t always have as much company or as many activities as they’d like.”
At Actionmarguerite, Day Programs run from Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 2:00pm, with Thursdays reserved for francophone programming and Friday reserved for young adults (which in this case denotes anyone under the age of 65).
“These programs are about offering options,” continues Bayta. “You can hang out with people your own age, grab a meal, and try something new. We want to create a social environment more than anything. It’s been great to have the programs running again; it makes that part of the building so much livelier. There’s music playing, laughter from participants, a lot of activity. It’s wonderful to see.”
To access the Day Programs at Actionmarguerite, participants must be receiving home care and receive a referral from their case coordinator. For anglophone participants, there’s a catchment area in St. Boniface, with programs available in other neighbourhoods, as well. Francophone or young adult participants aren’t confined to a catchment area, as there is more limited programming for those populations.
“We currently have space in both the Francophone and the young adult program, and we’d love to fill those spots,” confirms Bayta. “The participants love it here. Many of them spend a lot of time alone during the week and this is a highlight for them. We host the program in a big bright space with lots of natural light, and we’ve been able to update the room with some paint and new furniture recently.”
The programs offer a variety of activities for participants: music, exercise, games, and of course, meals and snacks. The day’s events are programmed by a certified recreation worker and run by a small team of staff who are all dedicated to creating great experiences.
“We recently found out that our participants weren’t thrilled with having sandwiches on Tuesdays,” admits Bayta with a laugh. “So we’re changing that to a hot meal! We’re here to ensure everyone has a nice time, which is why they’re welcome to participate in any way they like. Some folks do every activity, others just drink coffee and watch. All are welcome here!”