In honour of National Seniors Day on Saturday, October 1, celebrate a senior you know by sending them a postcard or a certificate of appreciation. The Government of Canada has also developed other resources for marking National Seniors Day.

At the recent Grey Matters conference a video called Don't Call Me Dearie got a lot of people talking. The video highlights the Elder Service Corps program offered by a Calgary organization called Carya and how the program reduces social isolation and positively impacts seniors' feelings of self-worth. Elder Service Corp engages seniors in community projects, builds relationships and starts conversations about what it means to be aging.

This webinar will take you beyond the idea of volunteers as free labour and explore how your volunteers currently contribute to your donor base, goodwill in the community and the labour force. From there, learn how to benchmark and track the full impact of your volunteers on organizational success, and build strategy to connect those impacts to fulfilling your mission.

Working with individuals, families and communities in any capacity is rewarding work for all types of service providers, however, supporting survivors of trauma, violence and abuse comes with a host of challenges that can deplete internal resources of those in the frontline caring professions. This workshop will provide an overview of:

• Compassion satisfaction and compassion fatigue
• Vicarious traumatization and burnout
• The factors that contribute to these concepts
• Participants will have the opportunity to explore and share self-care strategies within a holistic framework.

This webinar will identify the building blocks of a strong story and explain how nonprofits can adapt one story to the many different avenues of communication available-from various social media platforms to direct mail to email and online messaging. You'll see how to adapt, repurpose, and properly package the same story for different communication tools and even different audiences.

Participate in interactive educational sessions via telephone from the comfort of your home. The October roster includes: Small Bites to Better Health, Strike Out Stroke, Brain Games, Live Safely-Longer in Your Home, Older Adults and Problem Gambling, Holistic Decluttering for Seniors, and Stay Independent-Tips to Prevent Slips, Trips and Falls. Review session details and register by contacting Dauna at 780-735-3061.

Celebrate the contribution that seniors have made to society as we continue to remain active in retirement by advocating for better housing and health care for our loved ones. All seniors are welcome to attend this event which features speakers, songs by the Raging Grannies, and guitar by Breezy Brian Gregg. Coffee, hot chocolate and mini chocolate bars will be available.

The evening starts at 5 p.m. with Thanksgiving supper. A vegetarian option is available. Following the dinner there will be a presentation by geriatrician Dr. Adrian Wagg, professor of healthy aging, on healthy brain aging. No membership is required. Call 780-433-5807 for tickets and more information.

Give thanks at Sage and enjoy a delicious, deluxe Thanksgiving Dinner Buffet with all the trimmings plus salads, cranberry sauce, dessert and coffee/tea. Enjoy live music. Purchase your tickets by October 4. Call 780-423-5510 ext. 301 for information.

Enjoy live music, light snacks, beer and wine, a 50/50 draw and door prizes. Call 780-483-1209 for information.

This dance features music from the 60s, 70s and 80s.  There will be a cash bar and the café will be open. Call 780-496-6969 for information.

The Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council (ESCC) is looking for an individual with public relations and marketing expertise to join our Board of Directors. The ESCC is a not for profit, membership-based organization that works with senior service agencies and other stakeholders in the seniors sector to build an Age Friendly Edmonton and enhance the lives of all Edmonton seniors. For more information review a Backgrounder and Roles and Responsibilities for ESCC board members. Interested individuals are encouraged to submit their resumes to [email protected] by October 28.