Stricken with an especially painful and debilitating case of fibromyalgia, further hampered by re-occurring discomfort from an old back injury, the senior appreciates receiving a seven-day frozen food package from a Meals on Wheels volunteer.

“The service is a God-send,” Mrs. Van Wolde said. “I call, place my order on Saturday and the food arrives Tuesday. I pop the meals in the freezer, thaw them out one at a time, and throw it in the oven.”

With a choice of 52 entrees, the week’s delivery could include a traditional pot roast, salmon in lemon sauce, beef barley soup, chicken a la king or macaroni and cheese. For dessert, apple crisp, rice pudding or cheesecake could be on the menu. Of course, meals are available for special dietary needs, including diabetic-friendly desserts.

Under the umbrella of Community Home Assistance to Seniors (CHATS), Meals on Wheels is one of a number of programs offered by the region-wide agency. As well as providing meals, a CHATS housekeeping service helps Mrs. Van Wolde with the vacuuming.

Divorced for 20 years, Mrs. Van Wolde raised two sons. Since she lives alone on a Canada old-age pension, she knows the pitfalls of living on a fixed income. Meanwhile, Mrs. Van Wolde values her independence more with each passing day.

“If it wasn’t for CHATS, I wouldn’t be able to live here,” Mrs. Van Wolde said. “I’d be in some hospital or a ... nursing home. My life won’t be worth a pinch of you-know-what if I didn’t have help.”

Offering independent living is the backbone of CHATS.

“It’s the primary reason for a lot of our services,” Betty Neale, director of client services for CHATS, said. “It allows 80 per cent of our clients to stay in their homes. We make a positive difference in the health and wellness of more than 3,500 York Region seniors and caregivers every year.”

Life in Mrs. Van Wolde’s four-storey apartment complex on Yonge Street is good. She has friends within the building, uses a door-to-door regional mobility transit to go shopping, visit the doctor and dentist and to enjoy the offerings at the Aurora Seniors’ Centre.  

“I go to the seniors’ centre to do my quilting,” Mrs. Van Wolde said. “The centre is a fun place. I’m thinking of taking up pool and I’d like to join a woodworking class.”

Of aboriginal and French heritage, remaining independent and in her own home is vital for the 65-year old.

“I wouldn’t want to let my ancestors down,” she said. “Our family goes back 600 years.”

Dr. Mike Sharratt, director of research and aging at the University of Waterloo, doesn’t mince words when he stresses that Canada’s seniors need and deserve different kinds of services.

“I am not sure if there is anything more noble than helping older people remain independent where ever they live and with whatever restrictions,” Dr. Sharratt said. “Our goal is to keep people as independent as possible.”

The need to remain self-sufficient and self-supportive as much as possible is a worldwide lifestyle preference, Dr. Sharratt stressed.

A seniors’ one-stop living concept is getting attention. It involves a residential continuum with a senior going from living totally on his or her own, to assisted living, to a retirement home and then to long-term care, Dr. Sharratt said. “It’s aging in place instead of having to moves miles away.”

Many cultures do a better job of looking out for their seniors, the professor said. “For instance, the Chinese offer superior overall care. I find that North Americans are less respectful of older people.”

MELBA LOCKHEART

Loneliness forced Melba Lockheart out of her family home.

Her husband of more than 60 years passed away in 1989; her three children, long gone from their childhood home, had established lives of their own in the Windsor and Ottawa areas. Family would visit, but the hours in between would stretch into days. When the near-empty days turned into three years, Mrs. Lockheart knew she had to make a serious lifestyle change: — when you notice you’ve stopped smiling, you’re in trouble.  

“I got so very lonely,” Mrs. Lockheart said. “I wasn’t use to living alone. I got to eating leftovers a lot. It wasn’t a good situation. But, most of all, I was lonely.”

When Mrs. Lockheart explored her options, she didn’t have to look far: a 36-suite retirement residence had just opened down the street from her Main Street, Newmarket home. It fit the bill  perfectly — it was in her old neighbourhood, close to her church and horticultural group and, most important, there were people.  

“Moving here was one of the best decisions of my life,” Mrs. Lockheart said. “I came here six years ago. I’m not leaving. I promise not to misbehave. At least not too much.”

Not only does Mrs. Lockheart have her own private quarters, complete with a housekeeping service, there are also recreational activities, transportation and she’s served three tasty, nutritious meals daily. And, she no longer eats alone.  

“I take my meals in the dining room,” Mrs. Lockheart said. “The food’s good. And, when it comes to people, we’ve got it all: the good, the bad and the indifferent. You’ve got choices. It’s a great education. I’ve made friends. We have fun. But then again, I’ve had fun all of my life.”

At age 91, Mrs. Lockheart knows her strengths and weaknesses. And, she knows what she likes.

“I’ve got some sight problems; my hearing’s a little gone and I can’t smell like I use to,” Mrs. Lockheart said.  “But, I still garden. I’ve played in the dirt all of my life. We have a garden out the back and, last year, my flowers won some prizes at the (horticultural) club.”

For residence officials, Mrs. Lockheart is special.  

“Melba was our first resident to move in,” spokesperson Linda Robinson said. “She’s very much involved in the daily happenings as well as many of the larger outside Newmarket community events. There’s a real spark about Melba. Her enthusiasm and zest for life are contagious to all.”

Like most seniors, Mrs. Lockheart has known difficult times. When she experienced the death of a son two years ago, friends and the staff at her new home rallied around her.

Even though a mother should not bury a child, Mrs. Lockheart did not grieve alone.

“The loss was hard on her,” Mrs. Robinson said. “She needed our support.”

Now, when Mrs. Lockheart's two surviving sons, six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren want to visit, they have to check to make sure the family’s matriarch can fit them in.

“They’re all great kids,” she said. “But, they live far away.”

Frequent contact with others is key to a senior’s well being, a provincial advocacy group is quick to point out.  “In addition to making sure seniors get proper nutrition and health care, having contact with others is critical,” Marie Smith, president of United Senior Citizens of Ontario, said.

Life for all ages is a balancing act made up of the mind, body and spirit, while the need to socialize never goes away, Mrs. Smith said. “Seniors are at their healthiest and happiest when they’re with other people.”