Port Coquitlam has one of the lowest rates of social isolation among residents in Metro Vancouver and places such as Wilson Centre for people 50-plus might be one of the reasons why.
On any day of the week you’ll find happy groups of people having coffee together, playing bridge, competing in carpet bowling and participating in any number of health, fitness and recreational programs.
They are socializing and making friends, as recommended by Fraser Health, and are reaping the benefits through good physical and mental health.
For long-time resident Karen Dobson, 77, Wilson Centre is where she meets her friends, plays cards and attends special events. Occasionally, she’ll compete against her son, who is 57, in a game of carpet bowling.
He’s also a Wilson Centre member, and a pretty good carpet bowl player, too, she admits.
Dobson agrees with Fraser Health’s assertion that social connection can help people deal with stress and loneliness, and seeing friends can be a motivation to get off the couch and take a walk.
“It gets me out of the house so I don’t waste the day and it doesn’t take much to get here,” said Dobson, who walks from her home to the centre located at 2150 Wilson Avenue.
According to Fraser Health’s My Health Community report, having a strong sense of community belonging and having people to confide in is key to quality of life, and people who have these connections are 2.6 times more likely to report being in good health and 3.2 times more likely to report good mental health.
Sadly, the opposite is true for people with poor social connection, who are more likely to die prematurely, with isolation having an effect as strong as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
To better understand this emerging public health issue, Fraser Health asked residents about two key indicators of social connection: sense of community belonging and how many people they have to confide in.
The result is a report that shows that Tri-City residents are among the most connected in the region, with only 3.8% in Coquitlam reporting social isolation and 3.6% in Port Coquitlam. Most cities had higher levels of social isolation, according to the data summary sheet while Port Moody’s rate was not included because the sample size was too small.
However, the Fraser Health survey found that while adults aged 40 to 64 reported experiencing higher levels of isolation (7.7%), that number drops as they age, with only 5.7% of people 65 or older reporting experiences of social isolation.
Julius Oszterman, 82 and a retired painter, said he’s been a Wilson Centre member as long as the facility has been around and comes daily to play pool with his friends.
“You have to have a place to go to,” he said. “It’s healthy if you’ve got something to do.”
Joan Gould, a retired certified management accountant, is on the Wilson Centre advisory board and says members take great interest in ensuring the place is welcoming. Volunteers will help people with mobility challenges or a physical disability get to their class or program and there is much discussion about how to make it easier for people who have difficulty walking to to gain access.
“For someone with mobility issues, it can be a challenge.”
Gould, 78, recalls how lethargic she felt when Wilson Centre was shut down for two weeks at Christmas, acknowledging the importance of having a place to go for people.
“I had nothing to look forward to,” she recalls.
At Wilson Centre, it’s clear that regular members find a sense of community. Membership dipped with news of changes at the centre due to construction of the new recreation complex, but other people have joined up in the last year and there are between 50 and 60 programs for people to choose from.
But in the end, it’s the relationships that are important, and that hasn’t changed, said program assistant Carmel Lepine.
“We’re developing new friends and relationships," Lepine said.
• Wilson Centre remains open during construction and registration for summer for 50-plus programs is already underway. Call 604-927-7529 or visit www.experienceit.ca.
• For more information on the regional My Health My Community report visit myhealthmycommunity.org/Results/RegionalReports.aspx.
• For ideas about how to become more connected visit cmha.bc.ca/documents/coping-with-loneliness.
