New organization promotes neighbours helping neighbours

By Samantha Wigfield

A new Windsor organization is trying to make a comeback with old traditions with a neighbours helping neighbours initiative.

The Windsor Essex Compassionate Community is Windsor’s new non-profit group boasting of completely self-reliant community driven care to neighbours, including health and wellness.

The main focuses for the WECC are aging and those who are nearing death. They are reaching out to neighbours who are in a life crisis, in distress and lifelong care and planning.  They’re also trying to get more young people in the community more have involved with the project.

Deborah Sattler, the director of the organization, said the WECC is trying to find ways for people to rely on each other instead of having to use pricey alternatives, such as psychologists. This is to aid in providing a culture of neighbours helping neighbours where it’s easy to reach out and help each other and also to provide informal and practical help.

“It’s especially for people who live alone and don’t have family around them to help with that practical kind of support,” said Sattler. “We’re also demonstrating a new care model. Citizen coaches will go out with them (the client) and work with them on how they organize the care they need that combines informal, self-help, family and any care they can get across the county throughout multiple programs and sectors in the community.”

The goal is to improve the quality of life for everyone, providing extra care for those who are more vulnerable or nearing the end of life while using every resource the community has to offer in the most diligent way possible. These assets are family, neighbours, friends, technology, social services, agencies, education and distress centres.

The WECC is planning a model to help people who are in an early stage of distress but not yet at the crisis point. The coach will then try to figure out what kind of stress they have and what kind of help would be most appreciated.

Katrina Borrelli is part of a study that looking at trying to get communities to interact and connect with one another. This is called the neighbourhood and care model initiatives.

“Care Model is more for those who can’t afford health services,” said Borrelli. “I think our community needs that connection and trust again. Trust is a huge issue nowadays and for that to slowly build, it would make everyone a lot closer.”

She also believes it could go province-wide once other cities see results from the WECC.

For the past year, more than 120 people have been planning this citizen driven group, using associations that represent 10,000 seniors in eight municipalities. The WECC is expected to launch in the fall.

“We do have a responsibility for narrowing the equity gap in terms of the outcomes for people who could be vulnerable, poor or isolated,” said Sattler. “And we will do what it takes to improve equity and improve quality of life.”