Fresh Outlook Foundation brings mental health programs for seniors to Vernon – Vernon News

Seniors will benefit from a mental health program that is coming to Vernon.

The Fresh Outlook Foundation (FOF) is launching a project to provide mental health education programs designed and produced by seniors in Vernon and beyond.

Funded by the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program, the project will enhance HEADS UP Community Mental Health’s current programming, including podcasts, videos and e-magazine articles that explore various topics with health professionals health, experts from other sectors and people with lived experience of mental illness and recovery.

“Seniors are living longer and are the fastest growing demographic group in Canada,” says Jo de Vries, Founder and CEO of FOF. “So they need mental health information and inspiration that meets their unique wants and needs. The ideal solution is to have materials planned, researched, written and produced by older people for older people.

The project will launch in September with focus groups in Vernon to identify older adults’ mental health challenges and issues, the types of mental health information older adults seek, the channels they would use to access to this information and the best way to share programming. in networks and institutions for the elderly and the mental health system.

The results will be used to conduct a Canada-wide survey.

All research results will be used to train seniors in topic selection, scripting and producing podcasts, researching and writing articles, and advocacy to help spread the word. to audiences across Canada. Programming will be hosted on FOF’s website and promoted through its networks.

“FOF is grateful for the funding from New Horizons, which supports projects led or inspired by seniors who make a difference in the lives of others in their communities,” says de Vries.

If you are a senior or represent a mental health and/or seniors organization, contact [email protected] participate in a focus group, complete the online survey, create educational materials or promote programming through your networks.