Lambton Public Health is proud to partner with a number of community organizations to re-launch the Age-Friendly Sarnia-Lambton website, a tool to help support active, healthy, and engaged living for people through all stages of life. Initially launched in 2019 as part of a partnership with Age-Friendly Sarnia focused on assisting individuals over the age of 55 navigate community supports, Age-Friendly Sarnia-Lambton has now grown to offer holistic resources that will enhance the health of our community as a whole.
For more information, please see the below news release from the Sarnia-Lambton Ontario Health Team.
LAMBTON COUNTY – November 17, 2022 – Today we are pleased to announce that the Age-Friendly Sarnia-Lambton website has officially been relaunched with expanded resources and a newly refreshed, user-friendly design aimed at connecting residents of any age and any stage with the health services and community supports they need.
Age-friendly communities help create more accessible environments for people of all ages and abilities. In 2018 the City of Sarnia was recognized for its local efforts to support an aging population and joined the WHO Global Network of Age-Friendly Communities. In 2019, the Age-Friendly Sarnia-Lambton community partnership launched a new Age-Friendly website to help adults aged 55+ find community supports and health services.
The newly refreshed website, spearheaded by Lambton Public Health, Lambton Elderly Outreach, Family Counselling Centre, Sarnia-Lambton-OHT and partners is an easy to navigate online resource geared towards Sarnia-Lambton residents of all ages. This one-stop shop access point has doubled its service listings and added more features to make navigating social and health supports convenient and easy.
“We are thrilled to unveil this newly expanded website; we have been working diligently to improve this important resource for Sarnia-Lambton,” says Nadine Neve, Health System Integration Lead, Sarnia-Lambton OHT. “Age-Friendly Sarnia-Lambton is a centralized hub for residents of all ages to find what they need. Whether it be regarding local transport, mental health and addictions, active living or available 24/7 supports and resources – Age-Friendly Sarnia-Lambton has it all available at your fingertips.”
In 2021, the Older Adult Care Pathway Research Report conducted by Lambton College surveyed caregivers, service providers and older adults, finding that there were several areas which had opportunities to improve to better serve the broader Sarnia-Lambton community. It has since evolved to include a more diverse listing of vital local resources, including Indigenous supports, equity, diversity and inclusion services and housing and homelessness amenities.
“The newly refreshed Age-Friendly website will offer all residents a digital space to access so many great resources, and we knew how important it was to encompass services beyond healthcare,” says Julie Harries, Health Promoter, Lambton Public Health. “The website will play a key role in supporting our population’s health in a proactive manner. In taking a holistic approach to wellbeing, we can improve the overall health of our communities.”
In its new form, Age-Friendly Sarnia-Lambton has also moved towards utilizing Community Navigators through a partnership with the Family Counselling Centre. Anyone requiring assistance when accessing the website can call 519-336-3000 to find support in getting connected with local resources and services based on their needs.
The new website also features a ‘my list’ function, allowing users to save any supports and services pages that align with their specific needs.
To view the newly expanded website, please visit www.agefriendlysarnialambton.ca.
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The Sarnia-Lambton Ontario Health Team is a collaboration of 35 partners with a shared goal of improving the healthcare journey for members of the Sarnia-Lambton community. The Sarnia-Lambton Ontario Health Team’s purpose is: Local partners innovating together for better health. For more information, visit sarnialambtonoht.ca.