The Garth Homer Foundation
The Garth Homer Foundation provides funds to the Society to support people with developmental and other disabilities to make a life, a home, and a place in the world.
Latest News
Quadra Village Community Centre’s (QVCC) Community Programs Coordinator Charmaine Koenig worked at the Garth Homer Society for two years and says leaving her casual position was a hard decision to make, until she realized she could take a little bit of Garth Homer (so to speak) with her. “When some of the staff said they volunteered at QVCC, I took that as an opportunity to maintain a connection with a lot of Garth Homer clients,” she explains. Charmaine oversees the food distribution and community support programs offered by QVCC, many of which are supported by Garth Homer volunteers Monday through Friday. For example, Monday sees Garth Homer’s Discovery team delivering baked goods and watering plants, while someone from the STARR program picks up and recycles bottles. The OPTIONS team cleans toys for QVCC’s out of school care program on Fridays. These are just some of the contributions GHS volunteers make at QVCC. “They are helping out in so many different and amazing ways,” marvels Charmaine. “It’s really nice to have a team of people who are engaged and motivated to do this kind of work. [Our centre benefits from] that kind of energy.” Volunteers have even given themselves a nickname, ‘the Garth Homies’, and are known for always wanting to do — and provide — more. One teaches QVCC staff sign-language as part of their visit. “Our community is better because of not just who they are, but because of their knowledge and expertise,” adds Charmaine. Both Garth Homer Society and QVCC share similar visions and core values, making the partnership strong. Each strive for a world where everyone has the capacity, resources, support and opportunities to reach their potential.
Twenty-two-year-old Sarah Ksionzyk is preparing for her first ever solo art exhibition where she’ll sell some of her original work, something her parents Brenda and Dean never thought possible. “Sarah gets very attached to her art pieces,” explains Dean, who credits staff with the Garth Homer Society’s ArtWorks program for developing his daughter’s flexible thinking to the point where she’s not only willing to part with her work but is producing very different pieces having been exposed to different genres of art. “It’s huge for us and such a big leap,” adds Brenda, who explains that before being exposed to the ArtWorks program her daughter was prone to limiting her artistic talent to a very distinct style. The Ksionzyks came to Garth Homer four years ago, when Sarah was preparing to transition to adult services. Sarah, Dean and Brenda went to an information session that featured a number of community agencies, but it wasn’t until the Garth Homer Society’s presentation, that the family knew they’d found the perfect place for Sarah. “She’s had a passion for art for forever, and as soon as Geoff [Garth Homer’s CEO] started talking, Sarah’s ears perked up and she was excited too,” remembers Brenda. “All three of us looked at each other and said ‘oh my gosh, we need to know more about this,” For over 50 years, the Garth Homer Society has been guided by its mission to provide services and opportunities that enable people with disabilities to make a life, a home, and a place in the world. Today, it offers a range of programs centred on community inclusion, learning and employment, geriatrics and resident services. For the Ksionzyks, the defining characteristic of Garth Homer Society’s approach is the way they see Sarah. “When you have a child or an adult with autism or another developmental disability a lot of people don’t know what to do and they will often just talk to us instead of her,” remembers Brenda from the very first information session. “Geoff saw her dignity and respected her as a capable human.” Sarah is also enrolled in the Society’s Options program which nurtures her love of giving back through community volunteer experiences. She worked with a Parkinson’s group, something very near and dear to her heart, because of her grandfather’s experience. “Pop Pop is probably Sarah’s very favorite person in the whole world,” says Brenda. “He had Parkinson’s and passed away a few years ago, so [that opportunity] was super special to her.” Dean agrees, adding, “They offer opportunities that are meaningful to the individual.” He’s also quick to add that it’s not just Sarah who has benefitted from a relationship with Garth Homer. “They did way more for us than anyone could have–you just feel wanted there.”
Fear of Missing Out - or FOMO- isn’t something only experienced by those who are growing up in the social media era. For one 90-year-old Garth Homer client, it’s what keeps her coming to Pathways four days a week. “She’s young at heart and wants to know what everyone is doing,” says Pathways coordinator Roslyn Wagstaff. “A lot of our clients, because they’ve not been weighed down by the burdens of the world’s responsibilities like paying bills and going to work, still see themselves as 18-year-olds. If you feel young, then you are young,” adds Wagstaff. Pathways typically supports anywhere between 30 to 33 clients with a median age of 65. For the most part, Pathways participants transition from other Garth Homer programs as they start to slow down and begin to retire from volunteer jobs – meaning some clients have been with the Garth Homer Society their entire adult lives. “Our programming is more relaxed and flexible so if people don’t want to go out because they’re tired that day they can just stay in – it’s not a big deal,” explains Wagstaff. At Pathways, clients enjoy an accessible garden, opportunities to relax, play games, work on puzzles and engage in iPad activities. Community activities are made possible by easy-access vehicles while cooking, crafts, and yoga are also offered in a wheelchair/mobility aid-friendly space. Over the course of the Garth Homer Society's history, its supports for aging adults have evolved into the Pathways program. As people live longer, programs like Pathways become increasingly important in helping older adults maintain their independence and quality of life. According to the Journal of Family Physicians Canada ( Aging that includes an intellectual and developmental disability | The College of Family Physicians of Canada (cfp.ca) ) , a developmental approach to caring for older adults should be holistic, as aging is a time of life when exploring meaning, and generating something worthwhile that lives on, becomes especially important. It’s no different for adults with developmental challenges who can be supported to engage in tasks that feed emotional wellbeing later in life, such as participating in a support group or engaging in activities the individual enjoys. It’s these kinds of activities physicians believe help soften suffering, bring peace, enhance resilience, and ease adjustment to various aging-related changes in functioning and living. One of the biggest challenges faced by the elderly Is loss of physical and cognitive independence; the onset of which can be earlier in people with developmental disabilities. This coupled with longer life expectancy among the disabled and deinstitutionalization can mean situations where parents and older siblings in their 80s or 90s are still the primary caregivers of their developmentally disabled family member. “Our clients do have more challenges as some have to transition from a home support situation to a group home where they can hopefully age in place,” sympathises Wagstaff, adding that moving is difficult, as is getting used to different caregivers, especially when they’ve previously been parents and older siblings. She takes having difficult conversations with families in stride, and stresses planning for a loved ones later years is a must. “You need to be thinking ahead – where are we going to be in five years from now?” Wagstaff explains. “If you wait too long it’s very hard as sometimes a decline can be rapid -within the space of six months.” Ensuring an elderly loved-one has the capacity to process why a move is necessary and having the time to get used to a new home makes coping with change easier she says. Families can also play important advocacy roles by doing research into to the long-term effects of their family member’s disabilities and being prepared. “We’re here to help as well and have resources we can share too,” she stresses. As important as planning ahead is living in the moment, Wagstaff observes. “Personally, one of the biggest gifts of working with our elderly population is frequently hearing from family and caregivers that our clients are happy to be at [Pathways] and don’t want to miss a day,” she remarks. For Wagstaff and the rest of the Pathways team, its all about what they can do to make sure clients have a great day. “They’re always a lot of fist bumps and side-hugs to go around which is the kind of positive client feedback you get every day.” The United Nations has adopted October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons ( International Day of Older Persons | United Nations ) to recognize, "the essential contribution the majority of older men and women can continue to make to the functioning of society."
