Compassionate Communities Kingston Canada

Advance Care Planning Seminars to prepare plans (while healthy) for possible future care needs. Over 600 citizens have received this free education. All aspects of the program are facilitated by volunteers. If plans are well articulated and communications is effective the result will be fewer family feuds relationship breakdowns increased likelihood of getting the health care desired. Primary focus is on older adults. Community Connector Training. Free training for interested citizens who wish to be knowledgeable about health and support services available. People have trouble navigating the health system so citizens are trained to help neighbours friends casual acquaintances by 'signposting' people to services available. Approximately 125 citizens were trained as Community Connectors during the period. Monthly newsletters keep participants of the above projects informed of developments. Collaboration with the Canadian Frailty Network and their AVOID Frailty research program. They have developed a new data base of services which we use. CCKC also helps augment when new support services are uncovered. Continued collaboration with Queen's University Faculty of Health Sciences on a research project on implementing and evaluating social prescribing in primary health care.

Talking Cafes: Talking Cafés are places to meet new people make friends have fun chat to someone about community support services available and sometimes find innovative solutions to problems. They are casual and 'lightly facilitated' by a facilitator. People can speak or just listen and come and go as they wish. Participants decide the agenda through the subjects they raise in conversation. Some variations (see below) may have a theme to initiate the conversation. This is a program that originated in England that acts locally to mitigate the negative health impacts of social isolation and loneliness by touching the lives of individuals in a way that improves social connectedness and identifies a demonstrably effective pathway for others to adopt adapt and expand our approach.