Left to right are Sherry Tingley, LSRS board VP, Cathy Massey, Leslie Gaudette, president of Langley Seniors in Action, Loretta Solomon, LSRS board president, and LSRS executive director Kate Ludlam. (Matthew Claxton/Langley Advance Times)

 

Seniors centre expands programs into Fort Langley, has plans for other areas
by MATTHEW CLAXTON Langley Advance Times

For many years, the Langley Senior ResourcesSociety (LSRS) centre in the City was a destination for locals 60 years and older.

But ow it’s expanding, aiming to find new homes in church halls and community centres in multiple other neighbourhoods within Langley.

One step in that process saw some of the Langley Senior Resource Society’s (LSRS) senior leadership team stop by a meeting of the Fort Langley Community Association in April, to let locals know what is taking place, and to ask for inputon future expansion.

I would say that right now, our organization is going through a big transition,” said LSRS executive director Kate Ludlam.

LSRS built its main facility in on 51B Avenue in Langley City in the early 1990s, and it remains the largest independently owned seniors centre in the province.

It also remains a key destination for seniors to visit if they want to access programs, play a game of snooker, or visit the tuk shop. An adult day program is also located nearby, on 56 Avenue in the City.

Several years ago, however, the LSRS began estructuring its mission. One of the big goals was to take its programs out of its two facilities in Langley City and reach out to other neighbourhoods, bringing them closer to seniors who live farther from Langley City.

The first is North Langley, and specifically Fort Langley. It began offering services and meetings at St.George’s Anglican Church in Fort Langley. “We now offer a number of fitness courses, as well as some caregiver support groups,” said Ludlam.

The LSRS has also brought out a pharmacist for “pharma day” event, where seniors can review their prescription medications and get info they can take back to their doctors.

One of those who has taken part is Cathy Massey, the vice-chair of the Fort Langley Community Association’s board. She’s lived in and around Fort Langley forabout 15 years, and has noticed that there are quite a few similarly-aged folks to herself in the area. As she already knew Loretta Solomon, the LSRS board chair, she was aware of the expansion to the village.

So, in January, Massey signed up for one of their chair pilates course. “I saw seniors there I had never seen,” Massey said. She noted how quickly the course filled up, which tells her there is a need locally for more seniors services.

Fort Langley is a good location for programs, because the community is very walkable, and there is a community bus that connects it to Walnut Grove as well, Massey added.

As for her next course, she’s interested in joining a seniors walking group.

The partnership couldn’t have come about with the help of Wendy Robson of St. George’s, Solomon said, noting the programs have grown so quickly they’re seeing about 250 to 300 attending every month. “We need more space in Fort Langley,” the LSRS chair said.

LSRS is talking to the Township about possibly using some space in the renovated Haldi House, when it is completed, Ludlam said. But expansion into Fort Langley is not the end of their growth plans.

Ludlam said that Aldergrove is the next neighbourhood the LSRS hopes to expand into, although she acknowledges it will be a difficult location to find space. It would be a good place for an adult day program, she suggested.  After that, Willoughby is on the agenda, with space hopefully available in the planned community centre.

“Probably still a few years away, but we’ve got it in our sights,” Ludlam said.