What is a Compassionate Community?
The Compassionate Communities movement was founded in Australia over 20 years ago to celebrate care for one another, making it easier for us to give and accept help from each other.
Compassionate Communities Kingston was created in 2017 to bring the global compassionate communities movement to Kingston. We are inspiring intergenerational compassion by providing older adults with knowledge, connection, and support, promoting vitality, purpose and a sense of wellbeing.
We are mobilizing citizens to help provide knowledge and information on services available to anyone in need. Caring for others is everyone’s responsibility.
Want to join our movement? Contact us to learn more!
Our programs:
- Talking Cafes – our Talking Cafes are held at local libraries and are free events for older adults who want to connect with others over casual conversations.
- Advance care planning – we offer workshops for people to think about their values and wishes for care, and who they might choose to speak for them if they couldn’t speak for themselves.
- Community Connectors – we provide one-hour training sessions for community members who want to learn how to help family, friends and neighbours find resources for health and wellbeing.
Community Connections Podcast
Listen to Community Connections, our podcast featuring inspiring community members who are making a difference in Kingston!
UPCOMING EVENTS
Advance Care Planning Workshops
These FREE sessions include information on “Who will speak for you if you can’t speak for yourself?” Do they know your wishes, your values? And the importance of communicating your wishes to your loved ones. Benefits of having a plan include minimizing family feuds and relationship breakdowns; peace of mind. Advance Care Planning is a “gift” you can give to your loved ones.
Upcoming Dates: TBD
Community Connector Training
You are invited to become a Community Connector. The role is to “signpost” people to community services available to improve health and wellbeing. Often people aren’t aware of all the support services in our community. You are trained to know about the directories that exist.
We have trained 250 citizens so far. If we could train 1,000 people and each one made six connections a year, that would mean that 6,000 people a year would know about how to find available help when needed.
It feels good to help others and to feel as sense of community belonging. Join our trained citizens who can say “I know what’s out there” rather than “I wish I knew”. The next session is:
Upcoming Dates: TBD
Talking Cafés
Are you an older adult who would like to make some new social connections? We have a partnership with the Kingston Frontenac Public Library to hold these free events. We provide a welcoming space for meaningful conversations and community connections. These casual conversations are lightly facilitated and topics of interest are chosen by participants. Join us for one event or for all of them!
Upcoming Dates:
Wednesday, February 25, at 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Location: Soldiers Memorial Hall – OSO Hall, 1107 Garrett St, Sharbot Lake.
Wednesday, February 25, at 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Location: Calvin Park Branch Library, 88 Wright Crescent, Kingston
Friday, March 6, at 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Location: Kingston East Community Centre, 779 Highway 15, Kingston
Wednesday, March 11, at 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Location: Central Library Branch, 130 Johnson Street, Kingston
Wednesday, March 25, at 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Location: Soldiers Memorial Hall – OSO Hall, 1107 Garrett St, Sharbot Lake.
Wednesday, March 25, at 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Location: Calvin Park Branch Library, 88 Wright Crescent, Kingston
Wednesday, April 8, at 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Location: Central Library Branch, 130 Johnson Street, Kingston
Friday, April 10, at 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Location: Kingston East Community Centre, 779 Highway 15, Kingston
Wednesday, April 22, at 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Location: Calvin Park Branch Library, 88 Wright Crescent, Kingston
Wednesday, April 29, at 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Location: Soldiers Memorial Hall – OSO Hall, 1107 Garrett St, Sharbot Lake.
Talking Cafés are places to meet new people, make friends, have fun, chat to someone about community support services available and sometimes find innovative solutions to problems. They are casual and “lightly facilitated” by a facilitator. People can speak or just listen and come and go as they wish. Participants decide the agenda through the subjects they raise in conversation.
Kingston Frontenac Public Library: Aging Well And More
Join KFPL for a new bi-weekly speakers’ series that explores topics of interest for older adults!
Talking Cafés are held following the Kingston Frontenac Public Library Aging Well speakers.
Aging Well – Speaker Series Topic: “Managing Caregiver Stress and Preventing Burnout” Wednesday, February 25, at 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. Talking Café: 3:00 – 4:00 pm. Location: Calvin Park Branch, (88 Wright Crescent, Kingston) Register: https://calendar.kfpl.ca/event/14479123
Aging Well – Speaker Series Topic: “Advance Care Planning with Florence Campbell” Friday, March 6, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. Talking Café: 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Location: Kingston East Community Centre (779 Highway 15, Kingston) Register: https://calendar.kfpl.ca/event/15555082
Aging Well – Speaker Series Topic: “Preserving Family Photos and Home Video” Wednesday, March 11, at 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. Talking Café: 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Location: Central Library Branch (130 Johnson Street, Kingston) Register: https://calendar.kfpl.ca/event/14479186
Aging Well – Speaker Series Topic: “Habits for a Longer, Stronger Life” Wednesday, March 25, at 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. Talking Café: 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Location: Calvin Park Branch, (88 Wright Crescent, Kingston) Register: https://calendar.kfpl.ca/event/14479222
Aging Well – Speaker Series Topic: “Transitioning Wealth to the Next Generation ” Wednesday, April 8, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. Talking Café: 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Location: Central Library Brand (130 Johnson Street, Kingston) Register: https://calendar.kfpl.ca/event/14479290
Aging Well – Speaker Series Topic: “Care and Preservation of Family Heirlooms” Friday, April 10, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. Talking Café: 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Location: Kingston East Community Centre (779 Highway 15, Kingston) Register: https://calendar.kfpl.ca/event/15555391
Aging Well – Speaker Series Topic: “Balcony Gardens” Wednesday, April 22, 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Talking Café: 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. Location: Calvin Park Branch, (88 Wright Crescent, Kingston) Register: https://calendar.kfpl.ca/event/14479332
For older adults.
Registration required at www.kfpl.ca
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
There are many health and community support services available in the Kingston area. Yet, many people don’t know about these services. If you don’t know about a service, it doesn’t exist for you! Here is a list of six community directories to help you find services when you need them.
- AVOID FRAILTY: www.healthyagingcentres.ca or 613 483-9399. Click on “Access Community Resources” for information. Register as a MEMBER to join their healthy aging program. Register as a GUEST to learn more.
- Eastern Ontario Community Navigation: www.cneo-nceo.ca. OR Call 211.
Province wide: www.211ontario.ca. OR Call 211. - Southeast Health Line: www.southeasthealthline.ca. OR 613 545-0539.
- Everything Frontenac: www.everythingfrontenac.ca.
- Southern Frontenac Community Services Corporation: www.sfcsc.ca. OR Call 613 376-6477.
- Health Connect Ontario: dial 811.
NEWS
Queen’s Department of Family Medicine HORIZONS magazine
The September issue of HORIZONS magazine is a very interesting read. It is focused solely on seniors’ health and wellbeing. Included is a profile of Compassionate Communities Kingston Canada and our various programs.
https://familymedicine.queensu.ca/global-health/horizons-magazine