Christine Whelan, FEO, April 17, 2025, VOL. 6 ISSUE 16

The beginning of the new year aligned with the opening of Fort Erie’s new Gilmore Community Hub. Adjoined but separate from the new long-term care building, Gilmore Lodge, this one-storey wellness centre, located at 60 King Street in Fort Erie, now serves all of South Niagara.

A north hub is in the plans to serve Niagara’s north end.

What’s Happening In the Hub?

A walkthrough will reveal an exercise room, physiotherapy, washrooms and shower facilities, program kitchen and dining, café seating, conference room, office, and meeting spaces.

“What makes the Gilmore Community Hub a little bit different is that we’re offering the Niagara South Health and Wellness Program,” Beth Plato-Giles, Administrator, Seniors Community Programs, Community Services Department, Niagara Region, began.

The South Niagara Health and Wellness Centre is a collaboration of community and health care providers that offers rehabilitation, wellness education, and community resource connections to help older adults become healthier, safer, and stronger.

“It’s really an excellent program. It’s in partnership with Hotel Dieu Shaver, March of Dimes Canada, Niagara College and Niagara Region Seniors’ Community Programs, which is what we are.”

The program is run out of the Community Hub five days a week and combines a full-time physiotherapist with a wellness component.

The Hub is home to the Niagara Region’s Community Services Adult Day Programs, Healthy, Safe and Strong Falls Prevention Exercise Programs, and wellness workshops.

Beth shared that last year, across Niagara, they offered 34 different wellness initiatives, such as how to manage healthy eating with diabetes and how to have cyber-security awareness.

There’s the Seniors Outreach Program. The coordinators go into the community and help with community navigation. Beth explained, “For example, if a senior doesn’t know what they can apply for, such as income supplements, we provide help. Or maybe a senior needs some housing or food security assistance.” A couple of the outreach workers are in Fort Erie.

“Our Respite Companion Support Program is also in the Hub.”

The EarlyON Child and Family Centre just recently opened.

EarlyON Centres provide free, high-quality drop-in programs for children from birth to six years of age and their parents and caregivers.

The first session in the Hub, combining the children and the Adult Day Program, the seniors read to the children.

Regarding the benefits of this combination, Beth commented, “Even having the children laughing next door, where the seniors can hear them, is huge.”

Other programs are being offered ad hoc to the community, such as blood pressure and massage clinics through the Niagara College students. “Older adults can come in and have their blood pressure taken. They can participate in the massage clinics. These are well-received.”

Away from the seniors component, “Over the March break, we held a vaccination clinic for children and their families. Public Health held those here.”

She added, “This is a good example of why we call it a community hub. While our primary focus is older adults, we will offer other programs.”

Plato-Giles says they will also be doing programming for the residents in long-term care, but right now, they are focusing on the community side of programming.

How Well Does This Generation Embrace the Wholistic Approach?

“I would say, very well, based on the family members’ feedback.”

Beth explained that anyone interested can now walk into the building and see the services, take a tour, and ask questions. “Now we’re able to let people know the different levels of support offered.

“For instance, we have exercise programs for people who independently follow directions to be able to participate in the program. We also have programs for clients who might need a little more support and maybe have early-onset dementia. So, we offer different services for where people are in their lives and what support they require.”

Caregivers Matter, Too

Additionally, Beth explained, being attached to a long-term care home allows families and loved ones of residents to access services. “For instance, if there is a resident at Gilmore Lodge who has a family member who isn’t putting themselves first, as caregivers usually don’t, we can offer programs here where they can get a massage or participate in an exercise program or wellness workshops.

“That’s how I see the holistic approach. We’re serving the whole family.”

The Gilmore Community Hub doesn’t offer all the programs in the area, Beth says, “But we do like to showcase our partnerships. So, if someone came to the Hub asking about a program we don’t offer but are aware of elsewhere, we will certainly refer to other partners in the community. Working together with other groups and organizations in the community is important to us.”

The Seniors Were Involved From the Beginning

There was a lot of consultation with seniors before the development began.

“We’ve been planning this building for years, talking to local community members. Clients and existing long-term care residents had a lot of involvement.” Adding, “It’s nice to see it all come together. This is what people were asking for.” Beth says this was an essential part of the development.

Looking Forward is Fluid

Plato-Giles says what people need or want is ever-changing. “I think that we are open to the needs of our clients. Based on client and resident requests and needs, we will see things change here.”

Beth says she’s excited about the outdoor space at the Hub. “There’s a small backyard, a nice patio, and a couple of really pretty courtyards. In the back of the Hub is an outdoor exercise fitness circuit. We just purchased it at the beginning of the year. It’s five pieces of equipment that can be adapted for people to use as part of their exercise and fitness program.”

She added that this resulted from listening to clients comment on how pretty it is outside and that they’d like to go outside in the summer. “We wondered, what program would work out there? So, we purchased this exercise circuit with different stations.”

At the Gilmore Community Hub, a priority is placed on connecting people with new friends and helping to re-connect them with old friends, placing value on the power of love.

“We are focused on keeping people active and keeping people connected. That is our mandate.”

To learn more about Fort Erie’s new Community Hub, Beth invites anyone interested to call 289-320-9287 to book a tour or talk to someone about the services.