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Webinar – Peer to Peer Support: For older adults and those who support them
November 17, 2022 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Free
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Description
As our society ages, care for older adults has become more of a pressing issue.
Sadly, older adults may become the victims of crime. This can have a significant impact not only on the older person, but also on the people who support them. The COVID pandemic also had a major impact on older persons due the physical distancing (for health reasons) of people in their residences. The separation of loved ones from their families and friends exacerbated the existing isolation that some older people face.
What can be done to alleviate these concerns? Peer Support!
Peers are people who have similar lived experience and who have a willingness to listen and provide support…people who have “walked a mile in the shoes of another”.
Participating at this upcoming webinar, will provide you with an understanding of what is peer support, the significant benefits of peer support, including reducing isolation, sharing best-practices for care, the creation of friendships and supports that come with friendships, creation of safe-spaces that allow for unburdening of the mind and soul, and how a “peer support group” can be formed in your community.
Presenters
Jason Balgopal
Assistant Crown Attorney
Jason Balgopal is a graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School, and an Ontario lawyer, who was called to the bar in 1999. He has been practicing exclusively in criminal law since 2003, and has been an Assistant Crown Attorney in the Scarborough Crown Attorneys’ office since 2004. He has appeared in all levels of court in Ontario, and has conducted all manner of prosecutions, including murder trials and a dangerous offender application.
He is a member of the Elder Abuse Consultation Team (EACT) in Toronto and has presented many times on the topic of Elder Abuse. He is also a member of the Scarborough Human Services and Justice Coordinating Committee (HSJCC) which helps to coordinate the various services offered by different organizations to a diverse population.
After a lengthy challenge with depression, and after getting to a better “head-space” for himself, he wished to give back to the community which had supported him. Thus, in 2015, he created the Mental Wellness Peer Support Groups, which have been operating continuously since in person, and are now (since COVID started) operating virtually through Zoom. The groups offer members an opportunity to unburden themselves to peers (people who have “walked a mile in your shoes”) about how their mental wellness challenge is affecting them and get feedback (empathy or best practices) to support them.