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Keeping older adults socially connected in the pandemic
Community organizations help older adults stay in touch remotely
RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY
Emma Rempel, staff
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected every aspect of social interaction and has been especially hard for older adults. Organizations catering to older adults have had to meet the challenge. A new report prepared by Verena Menec — a U of M professor in community health sciences — and co-authors Nancy Newall and Alexandra Rose assessed community organizations’ responses to the pandemic. They found that while organizations were quick to adapt, there remain challenges to overcome to provide services for all older adults.
The report was prepared in collaboration with several community organizations that facilitate social engagement among Manitobans over 55. The participating organizations provide a wide variety of services, including exercise classes, senior centres, education and counselling. Through interviews with program coordinators, the researchers investigated how well organizations were able to continue providing services throughout the pandemic.
Menec’s primary research interests are healthy aging and social inclusion for older adults. Her research finds ways to socially engage older adults. Social inclusion is a vital component of overall health at every age. With age, isolation and loneliness can be linked to an increased risk of both
mental and physical health problems, including risk of heart disease and dementia.
The project received funding prior to the pandemic, demonstrating the need for this research regardless of the pandemic. Menec said the pandemic represented a “convergence of issues” and providing these services is as important as ever. Now, after nearly two years of experiencing limits on social gatherings, many people can be more easily convinced of the importance of social connection.
“We all found out […] personally what it means to be socially isolated,” said Menec.
A patchwork of community organizations have taken the lead on this issue, rather than a government-led response. Menec believes the provincial government should take more responsibility.
In November 2020, provincial health guidelines permitted visits from a close contact for individuals who lived alone. Menec saw an acknowledgment of the importance of social connection. However, she feels the provincial government’s plans have lacked an emphasis on facilitating social connections through communication technology and that it is not providing enough funds for community organizations.
“There are a lot of organizations right here in Winnipeg […] that are doing really, really good work to fill those gaps [and are trying] their best to do as much as possible for those most vulnerable”
— Verena Menec, professor of community health
“There are a lot of organizations right here in Winnipeg […] that are doing really, really good work to fill those gaps [and are trying] their best to do as much as possible for those most vulnerable,” said Menec.
One example of the vital services provided by the participating organizations is a food hamper delivery service, established in spring 2020. The service was provided through a collaboration between A & O Support Services for Older Adults, United Way Winnipeg and the City of Winnipeg’s 311 call centre.
Through this program, people with food security issues could call 311 and phone operators would transfer the call to A & O. The centre would then connect them with resources, including providing “food, hot meals, personal care items or social support.”
At the onset of the province’s state of emergency, some of the organizations quickly switched to providing services remotely, either online or by phone where compatible. A common refrain from program coordinators was that online services were more accessible to more people than when they only offered in-person service.
One of the initial hurdles for the switch to online services was teaching people how to use technology. In addition to regular services, organizations began to offer training in communication technology. Programs also had fewer volunteers and had to adapt to the province’s changing mandates and health guidelines.
After nearly two years of pandemic closures and reopenings, a hybrid approach to operation with online and in-person options is likely here to stay. This approach is accessible to largest group of people and has added
appeal in winter when many people have trouble with mobility.
However, additional research is needed to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. For instance, hearing loss is common among adults over 50 and can be an isolating experience, yet methods of communication have not adapted to be more inclusive. In-person contact is more difficult with masks that prevent the person from reading lips and online automatic caption settings are imperfect, frequently causing errors that may be confusing.
Another major remaining challenge is to provide online access and technology for the most vulnerable people, both in remote northern communities and in cities. Internet access is costly and some public housing complexes do not provide public wireless access. This leaves many people without access to essential services or unable to connect with others.
In the future, Menec hopes to research the impact of providing low-income older adults with access to technology, setting up wireless connections or giving them tablets. The unequal access to internet and communication technology broadens the digital divide between low-income and middle- to upper-income people. This leaves many of the most vulnerable people extremely isolated.
“It’s exactly the people who need [these services] the most who are disconnected,” said Menec.
research@themanitoban.com
graphic / Marina Djurdjevic / staff
TOB AN the MANI
Researcher connects food allergies to food insecurity
Connection between the two is expected to have increased during the pandemic
RESEARCH & TECHNOLOGY
Michael Campbell, staff
Families in Manitoba with certain food allergies experience food insecurity at a rate almost twice that of families without food allergies, according to a recent finding from research at the University of Manitoba. The study was conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic and the disparity is believed to have increased during the pandemic.
Jennifer Protudjer, endowed research chair in allergy, asthma and the environment and assistant professor in the department of pediatrics and child health, is recruiting participants for a study examining the intersection of food allergies and food insecurity.
Protudjer was previously involved in a project at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden as a post-doctoral research fellow which looked at the costs of allergies for the families experiencing them. This research included outpatients from an allergy clinic in Stockholm, Sweden. Protudjer found families were bearing a cost burden between $6,000 to
$7,500 in Canadian dollars per year, representing a significant burden to families with allergies.
When Protudjer joined the University of Manitoba in 2018, she wanted to know if this phenomenon was happening in Manitoba and what could be done to reduce the financial burden.
Prior to the pandemic, Protudjer found that families with allergies in Manitoba face an excess cost of $2,400 per year — about $200 per month.
“If that was happening at a time prior to the pandemic, when food prices were a bit more stable [and] unemployment was lower, what’s happening during the pandemic?” Protudjer said.
According to Protudjer, these issues, along with food shortages, have likely been exacerbated by the pandemic.
“Since the start of the pandemic, food prices have probably gone up close to 10 per cent,” Protudjer said.
“That’s 10 per cent on top of an additional excess burden that these families with food allergies were facing prior to the pandemic.”
One of Protudjer’s current projects is looking for low-income parents caring for a young child with a milk allergy to participate in the study. The project will deliver dairy-free food products on a biweekly basis representing a value of approximately $200 per month. The Protudjer lab will then attempt to determine whether this intervention improves the food security and mental health of the participants.
Protudjer’s research has made alarming findings regarding the extent of the financial impacts of living with allergies. At the beginning of the pandemic, families with an allergy to staple foods — including milk, egg or wheat — had nearly twice the difficulties finding foods that met their needs than families with allergies to non-staple food products.
Among families that were having difficulties finding enough suitable
food, families spent an average of $113 more per month than families with allergies that were still able to find enough food. All these difficulties during the pandemic were above and beyond the increased baseline costs for people living with allergies.
Protudjer’s research also looks at the psychological impact of living with allergies. Protudjer has participated in research projects exploring this topic in Manitoba, nationally and internationally. She has found the psychological burden exists both for the person living with the allergy, their family and, by extension, their community.
“What we see is that families, particularly moms, have much lower health-related quality of life than moms of children who don’t have [a] food allergy,” Protudjer said.
“And that’s probably because it’s the parents who are taking on the burden for themselves.”
Protudjer’s connection with her research goes all the way back to the beginning. At two months old, she was diagnosed with an allergy to fish and shellfish.
“Growing up in Manitoba, as a largely landlocked province, it wasn’t difficult to manage,” Protudjer said.
“But certainly, it was uncommon when I was small to have any allergies. And as I got older, allergies were something that we discussed more.”
In fact, many people that have allergies are diagnosed early in life. According to Protudjer, allergies to milk and egg products typically appear first in childhood, often because they are the first foods to be introduced to infants’ diets. Other common allergies include peanuts, tree nuts and shellfish.
The prevalence of allergies is currently on the rise, but researchers are uncertain of the exact reason for this.
“Increasingly we see allergies to different seeds, such as sunflower seeds or chia seeds as well,” said Protudjer.
For this reason, more allergy research needs to be conducted. Protudjer suggests this research should be done in Manitoba.
“For me, the patient has to be at the heart of what we do — the family has to be at the heart of what we do,” said Protudjer.
“And so, if resources were unlimited, what I would love to do is have a centre for excellence, if you will, here in Manitoba.”
research@themanitoban.com
AN the MANI
Diversity and inclusion in sport a priority for EDI head
SPORTS Matthew Merkel, staff
The U of M co-sponsored two presentations held Jan. 28 that included notable Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) guest speakers who broke down the challenges young Canadians face in sport, their own personal experiences with oppressive systems and the different tactics they employ to make sport a safe place for all Canadians.
Speaking in the first event was former Canadian national ice dancing team member and current Figure Skating Diversity and Inclusion Alliance (FSDIA) advocacy chair Asher Hill. As part of the FSDIA, Hill champions representation in the sport of figure skating and advocates for increased access to sport for new Canadians.
“Our goals are just to create a solid sense of community for skaters of colour […] different gender identities as well as as sexual orientations and religious minorities,” said Hill.
“We’re really focused right now on BIPOC representation in the sports. We want to obviously make the space safer, more inclusive and create equity as well as creating more of a sense of community with our skaters.”
The last two years have been nothing short of a whirlwind for the 30-yearold. After Skate Canada released a statement in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in June 2020, Hill was publicly critical of the sport’s national governing body for harbouring a culture that was racist, misogynistic and homophobic. Hill cited his own personal experiences with racism in the sport and Skate Canada’s poor response to his complaints.
Hill continues to be an advocate for representation in skating. Hill has been vocal on CBC programs like Battle of the Blades and That Figure Skating Show, a program he co-hosts. With more and more people of different backgrounds entering the sport, Hill knows for racialized athletes, voices that can understand their experiences are crucial in cultivating safe spaces. He believes more BIPOC skating, coaching and representation in the media is a positive for the sport.
“When we see someone who looks like us achieving at something, it just makes it a little bit more tangible and possible,” said Hill.
Hill, Asagwara preach accessibility for sport, safe spaces for all athletes “For me, it’s about understanding, supporting and legitimating the actions that are already being done, where people feel like they haven’t quite had the institutional support”
“There is a feeling of maybe safety and camaraderie […] if we look at any sport like basketball or football or track or anything like that, of course there’s accessibility to these sports, which makes it easier […] But it’s the representation that, ‘Oh, we have amazing Black athletes now’ […] ‘Oh, I can now do that, too.’”
The first event — “Being a Voice for Change in the Skating Community: A Virtual Conversation with Asher Hill” — saw Hill share his personal stories and traumas over Zoom. Hill explained the anti-racism programs the FSDIA is implementing, strategies for dealing with covert racism and how to identify microaggressions specific to figure skating. Hill also called for better regulations and inclusionary policies for transgender skaters, something he feels the International Skating Union has fallen short of.
Later that night on Zoom, Hill hosted the second event “FSDIA Conversations In Colour,” where panellists discussed the ways they make sport a holistically positive experience for Winnipeg youths. On the panel was former Canadian national basketball team member and current New Democratic Party MLA Uzoma Asagwara, Bisons women’s soccer team sports psychology consultant Craig Brown, Rising Stars Foundation president and former Bison athlete Wilfred Sam-King Jr. and long-time development advisor at Sport for Life Society Richard Sylvester.
The issues BIPOC minors in Winnipeg face, how to increase accessibility to sport in the city and how to properly
address racism in real time dominated the discourse. Inclusivity was also a main theme, with the importance of Black LGBTTQ* representation highlighted by Asagwara, Manitoba’s first queer Black person and gender non-conforming MLA.
Tina Chen named inaugural lead of EDI at the U of M
These meetings served as an example of what may be to come for the U of M with Tina Chen as the new executive lead of equity, diversity and inclusion.
An already accomplished researcher, Chen has been entrusted by the U of M administration to tackle the systemic inequities within the university. After reviewing the final report from the president’s task force on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), Chen acknowledged the intersectionality that exists within the U of M. She said the work she will be doing will consider the needs and concerns of a variety of demographics.
“The EDI task force really […] provided the evidence of what we already knew, there is […] systematic oppressions along all lines, they’re interlocked,” said Chen.
“For me, it’s about understanding, supporting and legitimating the actions that are already being done, where people feel like they haven’t quite had the institutional support […] So opening those spaces, but also thinking about how […] we ensure that what different groups [or] individuals are doing, advocating and need
around lines of anti-racism, equity, diversity, inclusion [and] access, that they’re not only done from the perspective of one slice of the world and so that they’re not actually creating new inequities in other places.”
On top of working in the U of M’s department of history, Chen is also a figure skating coach and has worked with Skate Canada and the FSDIA . Her experience in both sport and academics has influenced her research — she is currently exploring the history of racism and different oppressive systems that exist within athletics.
Chen’s work in both skating and with the rest of the community leaders bodes well for the foundation of knowledge she may be able to access when assisting Bison Athletics. In working with the athletic department, Chen expressed hope to continue to support initiatives already established and listen to athletes and their concerns. She stated she does not intend to overhaul the system, but rather to support the actions already undertaken and improve in areas as needed.
“Sara Ahmed, who’s a feminist scholar and does a lot of work on diversity work, she refers to people who do diversity working in institutions as ‘institutional plumbers,’” said Chen.
“What you really have to do is figure [out] where the blockages are, and then you need to remove those blockages so people can do the work.”
“My hope is […] that this is going to also empower people to tell me and reach out to [tell] me where those blockages are […] saying […] this is where we’re having difficulties, because I think it’s really knowing the blockages as well that’s going to help create more sustainable and better programs.”
sports@themanitoban.com
— Tina Chen, U of M executive lead of equity, diversity and inclusion
graphic / Marina Djurdjevic / staff
G. De Sanctis. 183?. Esemplare di alfabeti diversi fregiati di fiori, di animali e di altri ornati. Naples.
