Sophie Demers
MRC DES COLLINES – The “Table autonome des Aînés des Collines” is a local organization, founded in 2012, with the mission to support and develop initiatives to meet the needs of seniors in our MRC. They will be launching a survey at the beginning of April to better understand the current needs of the population and identify gaps in service.
“We want to understand the impact and the consequences of lacking essential services for seniors,” said the organization’s director, Logan Vaillant. “When we talk about services, we are referring to essentials such as transportation, housing, at-home services, and food. We realize there are gaps. This survey will allow us to better understand and launch projects and initiatives that can hopefully help to fill them.”
The survey will be available on their website https://www.tabledesainesdescollines.org/. Those with difficulty accessing it or problems using a computer can call the organization to complete the survey over the phone (see number below).
The organization also plans to connect with seniors’ clubs and other local social groups to distribute the survey to members. There will also be discussion groups.
“We invite seniors to participate. The more respondents, the more information we can gather, and hopefully, we can provide better services where needed,” said Vaillant. “We would also like to invite caretakers and seniors to reach out, use our services or let us guide them to appropriate resources.”
The organization offers a variety of services such as respite, support for caretakers and at-home outreach for vulnerable seniors. Vaillant highlights that the organization can aid seniors in various ways such as accompaniment, having a conversation, or helping them find the resources they need for a specific issue. They also organize activities like information sessions, workshops, and brunches.
They currently have four main projects ongoing; “Mon Ange Gardien” is a project where they lend out alarm systems in case of falls, another project focused on accompanying at-risk seniors to appropriate services, and a project that focuses on supporting caregivers through training, coffee meetings, respite, etc. Lastly, the TAACoMOBILE project is a mobile refrigerated unit, in operation since the summer of 2020, which allows seniors to buy fruits and vegetables from local farmers.
For more information about the organization or how to use their services, residents can reach them through their Facebook page (Table autonome des aînés des Collines), by phone at 1 855-662-4637, or by email at tabledesaines@gmail.com.