by Timothy Schafer
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Nelson Daily
More needs to be done to bolster the health and wellness of Nelsonites during the pandemic, says one of the city’s social service managers.
Erin Thompson — the Kalein Centre’s Nav-CARE program manager — said there has been a demand for more mental health support than there are services in Nelson, due to a “heavy toll of loneliness and social isolation on the city’s population.”
But there are under-utilized programs, such as Nav-CARE at the centre, that could help fill that gap in services for people struggling during the pandemic, she said.
Thompson explained that Nav-CARE — a community-based program to improve the quality of life for adults living with chronic illness, social isolation or increased frailty — is able to provide social, emotional and practical support for people who are struggling.
The breadth of COVID-19 impacts in the community has created a growing awareness of the challenges faced by adults with declining health and caregivers of all ages, said Thompson.
“Nelson is a difficult place to navigate for a lot of geographic reasons, but also living rurally provides these extra challenges to living well with declining health and chronic illness,” she said.
“And so, (Nav-CARE is) trying to make it a place where people can live at all stages of life with the highest possible quality of life.”
The idea of Nav-CARE is to improve the quality of life for people living with declining health by matching them one-on-one with specially trained volunteers.
It was expanded last summer to include all adults — not just seniors — with declining health, people who are considered at risk for poor quality of life and social isolation.
The program’s volunteers provide social, emotional and practical support, including helping to create connections to community by providing caring, consistent and emotional support.
“Volunteers are trained in available community services, advocating for clients and families, facilitating connections to community and resources and promoting active engagement,” Thompson said.
Nav-CARE complements existing healthcare services, not detracting from or duplicating existing services, with volunteers addressing needs that fall outside the responsibilities of healthcare providers but greatly affect client ability to stay healthy or access healthcare.
“Volunteers have the luxury of time to engage, listen, support decision-making and assist clients with practical things that help to meet their needs,” said Thompson. “Healthcare providers can then have more time to work on their specialty.”
Nav-CARE is always accepting new clients as well as volunteers. The time commitment is up to eight hours per month, for a minimum of six months with training and ongoing support provided.
To volunteer, call 250-352-3331. For more information, visit https://kaleincentre.org/nav-care-program/