Last week Alberta celebrated 440,000 individuals across the province. They are the volunteers, the storytellers, the grandparents and great grandparents. They are the seniors, and last week was their week.
Hillcrest was quick to jump at the opportunity to celebrate its residents, with activities and trips planned throughout the week. They went to the Barrhead Centennial Museum, sat and socialized at a strawberry tea, even attended a wiener roast and campfire sing along.
Hillcrest Lodge activities manager Shelley Oswald said the group is extremely fun to work with, and creative at that. They paint, they draw, they knit, they crochet. They know all about canning, making jam, preserving, and gardening.
They’ve done it all, and are willing to share everything they know. But are younger generations grasping the opportunity to learn from them?
In the age we live in now, many of the skills once used for survival are now more of a hobby than anything. There is no need to knit or crochet a blanket or clothing for warmth. Canning and preserving are not necessary to survive the winter with two grocery stores in town.
Living in easier times when these skills aren’t a necessity, who will pass on the history once our seniors are gone? It is up to these generations after to carry on what our seniors have worked so hard to build.
Have you taken the time to listen to their stories, soak in the knowledge? A moment is all it takes.
