Supporting Isolated Seniors Through Mindfulness and Movement

Living alone in quarantine for extended periods of time can cause severe feelings of stress, anxiety, and isolation. With limited resources and no previous experience responding to a pandemic like COVID-19, seniors' residences and homes across Montreal were at a loss about how to address pressing needs beyond basic health care. Under the leadership of Dr. Nancy Heath at McGill's Faculty of Education, we seek to launch an evidenced-based intervention program, which will combine physical activity and mindfulness, for isolated seniors in Montreal’s lower income area residences and homes. This project brings together the Faculty’s experts in teaching, mental health, and physical education to create a feasible, effective phone intervention program that can be replicated and scaled to better support seniors in similar circumstances. It will also harness university students’ desire to help during these difficult times, offering an added element of inter-generational connection to both groups.