Connecting Edmonton Seniors (formerly PEGASIS)
Inclusion and social connectedness are key social determinants of health. Social inclusion is a preventive measure that supports government and community goals, such as easing strain on our health care system.
Like most important social issues, community-based support for seniors is complex. No single organization has all the answers or can provide every program or function that's needed.
In the spring of 2016, the Pan-Edmonton Group Addressing Social Isolation of Seniors (PEGASIS) began with funding from the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program. Seven not-for-profit organizations received funding for three years to launch a collective impact initiative that would reduce social isolation of seniors. Funding for the PEGASIS projects ended in April 2019.
We are proud of the difference made by the initiatives developed through PEGASIS, but those initiatives represent a tiny fraction of what community organizations offer in Edmonton. The group is now called Connecting Edmonton Seniors and has evolved and expanded to include people and organizations who are interested in the social determinants of health and ensuring that we all have social connections that contribute to healthy aging.
Moving forward, the Connecting Edmonton Seniors initiative will engage organizations, businesses, and all levels of government to create meaningful systems-level change. We believe that by working together we can create impactful changes that will improve quality of life for Edmonton seniors and enable them to age well.