‘You’re not on your own’: How social prescribing is helping Manitoba seniors connect with their communities

CTV’s Daniel Halmarson takes a closer look at social prescribing and the benefits it has for seniors.

Winnipeg senior Cathy Domenco lives alone and doesn’t have a lot of family around.

She said her quiet life was starting to feel quite lonely – and that was before she was diagnosed with a visual impairment.

“After that happened, I became isolated, withdrawn, and very depressed,” Domenco told CTV News on Thursday. “I didn’t want to do anything. I didn’t want to cook or clean.”

Domenco shared how she was feeling with her doctor, who took a different approach than expected.

It’s called social prescribing – a way to connect people experiencing isolation to community resources, programming and other people in the same boat.

Statistics Canada data shows nearly one in five older adults experience loneliness.

“Loneliness is a major health concern for older Manitobans, with research showing it can increase the risk of stroke, heart disease, depression, and dementia,” Doctors Manitoba president Dr. Nichelle Diselets said in a news release last month. “Social prescribing allows doctors to help patients at risk of social isolation by referring them to personalized supports and resources.”

Social prescribing has been available in Manitoba for about two years and expanded to include all health regions in February.

Doctors or other health-care providers can refer patients at risk of isolation to resource coordinators in their communities.

Joanne van Dyck, a social prescribing program consultant with the Manitoba Association of Senior Communities, said those coordinators come up with individualized plans for each person.

“To find out where they’re at, what it is that they need, what are they looking for, and what kind of losses, transitions, and changes are they experiencing,” van Dyck told CTV News.

She said that means introducing people to meal programs, recreational activities, volunteer opportunities and social gatherings at community centres and other facilities.

She added some people may need help arranging rides for medical appointments and grocery store visits or assistance with basic maintenance work around the house.

“Help people to maintain their independence and stay in their own homes, but primarily focus on that connection, belong, purpose, and meaning in somebody’s life,” van Dyck said.

Domenco was referred to the Transcona Council for Seniors and hasn’t looked back. She’s become a mainstay at weekly lunches and monthly dinners and has even started taking classes on how to cook for one person.

“It was very good to go to that, and you got to eat the food after!” she said with a laugh.

She said social prescribing and the programs she’s now a part of have enriched her life.

“I am no longer as depressed as I was. I look forward to getting up,” Domenco said. “I cook and I can clean my place up now without feeling like it’s such a drag. And I look forward to the activities.”

She said she also looks forward to seeing people she now considers her friends.

“You get to feeling not so alone,” she said. “You’re not on your own. It doesn’t feel as bad as it did before.”

More information on social prescribing and how to connect with a senior resource coordinator can be found online.