Program to ease loneliness for Richmond County seniors wraps up

A yearlong project to ease loneliness and depression for Nova Scotia seniors in Richmond County wraps up this fall.

The Mind Body Spirit project set up pilot programs to bring seniors out of isolation and included a volunteer visitor program, dinners, music and technology initiatives.

"This is for seniors at risk of social isolation and therefore at risk of decreased mental health," said Dawn Ostrem, project co-ordinator.

"Richmond County is the canary in the coal mine for global aging population," she said. "It's got the second highest demographic for the number of seniors in Nova Scotia, and Nova Scotia has the highest in Canada."

The population of Richmond County is approximately 8,900, and close to 30 per cent of its residents are over the age of 65.