U of T research lab developed app for seniors to make it easier for them to get online

A year after moving into the Veterans Centre Resident Care in North York, nothing slows 92-year-old Mary Jarvis down except obstacles in the way of her walker.

She spends her days latch-hooking rugs, reminiscing with fellow residents, baking once a week, and in the summer, she spends most days in the community garden.

But it wasn’t always like this:

The great grandmother lost her husband of 60 years on Mother’s Day eight years ago.

“I think I went through a period of feeling alone just after my husband passed,” said Jarvis. “You’re not included the same way when you’re a widow or widower because it’s always couples.

Holidays are hardest

Holidays can be particularly hard for seniors who are socially isolated:

“Seniors without family or with limited ability to travel and visit their families, due to perhaps a physical condition or limited funds, will inevitably feel an increased sense of loneliness and isolation,” wrote Einat Danieli, the project manager at Mount Sinai’s ENRICHES Collaborative, in an email to CBC Toronto.

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Courtesy of CBC News