To mark World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10, the Jeffery Hale Community Partners proudly present the Life Experiences Project—an intergenerational initiative that shines a light on the resilience and wisdom of older adults in our community.

The project aims to raise awareness about mental health and aging, encourage reflection on personal and collective resilience and promote intergenerational dialogue.

Volunteers interviewed residents living at Saint Brigid’s Home and crafted their powerful testimonies into three articles which are now available online. Community members are invited to read these moving stories and reflect on their own experiences with resilience, adversity and mental health.

You can read the articles on the wejh.ca website under the We Mind Mental Health program in That’s Life: Our Stories and Experiences Around Mental Health.

Program co-ordinator Anaïs Fortin-Maltais said, “We hear little about the mental health of our community members aged over 80, despite all the transitions, challenges and grief older adults can go through.”

According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, one in four older adults experiences a mental health issue, most commonly depression or anxiety. Yet, mental health challenges among seniors often go underrecognized and under-treated, partly due to stigma and misconceptions that these struggles are a “normal” part of aging. Many Canadians also harbour fears about aging, particularly around loss of independence, social isolation and declining health.

We extend a big thank you to our volunteers Sarah Blair, Kathie Jerow and Elyssa MacKinnon, for helping amplify the voices of participants who generously shared their life stories.

If you’d like to contribute an article to this project, or if you know of an older adult who would like to share their story about mental health and aging, please contact Anaïs Fortin-Maltais, co-ordinator of the Well 50+ & Caregivers’ Circle programs at Jeffery Hale Community Partners, at afortin-maltais@jhpartners.net.