June Is Seniors Month

In Ontario, June is officially recognized as Seniors Month. It is more than just a meaningful date on the calendar or a formal government campaign. It is a good opportunity to stop, look around, and say thank you to all those who have lived long and full lives, raised children and grandchildren, built families, worked hard, overcome the challenges of immigration, preserved their language, culture, and traditions, and passed all of this on to the next generations.

This subject is especially close to us. Among people who came from the republics of the former Soviet Union — Ukrainians, Russians, Belarusians, Moldovans, Armenians, Georgians, Azerbaijanis, Kazakhs, Jews, people from the Baltic countries, and many others — respect for elders has always been part of family culture. We may disagree about politics, see life differently, and speak different languages, but in one respect we are alike: for us, grandparents are not a “social category,” but part of our family roots.

In our homes, older people often remain the keepers of memory. They remember their former lives, family stories, old photographs, recipes, songs, sayings, holidays, and family traditions. They know what “life used to be like,” and very often they are the ones who help children and grandchildren feel connected to their roots.

For an immigrant family, this is especially important. In a new country, surrounded by new rules and new languages, it is often the older generation that reminds us who we are and where we come from.

In Canada, the system of caring for seniors is organized differently from that in many of the countries our readers came from. Retirement homes and long-term care facilities are part of social reality here. For many Canadian families, this is a practical solution, especially when an older person needs continuous medical care.

At the same time, our culture still strongly preserves the belief that caring for parents is not only a responsibility, but also a matter of conscience, love, and gratitude. We are accustomed to the idea that an older person should remain close to the family for as long as possible. Even when children are busy, working, or living in another neighbourhood or city, the inner sense of responsibility for a mother, father, grandmother, or grandfather often remains very strong.

At the same time, it is important to be honest: caring for seniors in an immigrant family is not easy. Many adult children have jobs, mortgages, children of their own, stress, and very little free time. Older people may experience loneliness, language barriers, transportation difficulties, health problems, nostalgia, and a feeling that they are no longer needed.

That is why today care means more than simply “bringing groceries” or “calling once a week.” It also means creating places where seniors can meet, learn, laugh, sing, remember, share their experience, and feel that they are part of the community.

This is why, in one of the previous issues of Nasha Ottawa, we wrote with particular warmth about the “Golden Age” club. Projects like this are needed in our city. They give older people what is often missing from everyday life: new acquaintances, communication in their native language, a cultural environment, attention, respect, and the feeling that someone is waiting for them.

For some, it is a reason to leave the house. For others, it is a chance to make new friends. And for someone else, it is an opportunity to once again feel interesting, needed, active, and engaged in life.

Most of our magazine’s readers are over 40. Many of us are already helping elderly parents or are beginning to think about our own later years, health, financial security, loneliness, and quality of life after retirement.

That is why we try to include in every issue materials that are interesting and useful for the older generation: articles about health, active longevity, culture, family relationships, local programs, available services, and people who continue to live bright, meaningful, and fulfilling lives at any age.

June is a wonderful opportunity not only to congratulate seniors, but also to ask ourselves: are we doing enough for them?

Often, older people do not need very much. A phone call. A walk. An invitation to a family dinner. Help with a phone or documents. A trip to a concert. An unhurried conversation. A chance to tell their story and be heard.

Old age should not be a time of silence and loneliness. It can be a time of dignity, wisdom, friendship, creativity, and respect.

It depends on us what it will be like for our parents today — and for ourselves tomorrow.