National Seniors Day: Montreal seniors take part in 4th annual walk

Montreal seniors, their loved ones and advocates joined forces Tuesday morning to take part in an annual walk for the well-being of the elderly.

The “Let’s Act Together for the Wellbeing of Seniors” march, which was organized by Mouvement HABITATS, coincided with the National Seniors Day.

Hundreds of people – including 65 ambassador organizations – took part in the fourth edition of the event, which saw participants walk from Jeanne-Mance Park to La Fontaine Park.

“It’s a way of showing people we’re here… and we’re still alive and walking and we’re ready to do all kinds of stuff,” said Louise Rosenberg, who was participating in the event for the fourth time.

“The feeling of taking the street with all, with older people like me, I feel, it makes me feel so proud.”

Data from the Institut de la statistique du Québec and the World Health Organization show that one-in-five seniors experiences loneliness, which can increase the risks of physical and cognitive decline.

“During the pandemic was a huge challenge for us. But … what it did for me is it motivated me to do something, so what I did is I started a ‘café rencontre,’ a place for seniors to meet at the library,” said Rosenberg.

“It’s easy to isolate yourself and feel alone and I think that’s where you start getting depressed and you lose faith in yourself.”

A similar walk was also held in Quebec City.

“First edition we were 100 people and today we’re expecting 1,000, so here in Montreal and 1,000 in Quebec City,” said François Grisé, the founder and managing director of Un et un font mille and Mouvement HABITATS.

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Loneliness and mobility issues are among the challenges seniors face, says Grisé. However, he highlights that seniors can still play an active role in society, regardless of their age.

“Today we really want to promote all the things that are done to make them included, feeling better and being active in our society,” he said.

“Just being a senior is a challenge for a lot of people,” added participant Daniel Sobolta. “The people don’t look at you the same way when they see you’re a senior, so just to get people to think we’re normal people, we were young once and now we’re not as young.”

“I take my walker and I go on the metro and the bus, you can’t stay home, you have to move,” said another participant, Lois Pereston.

“There are things we need to let go of, OK, but there’s a whole new space for new things to show up and new motivations and new passions,” added Rosenberg.

“I’ve never felt so alive at 74, frankly.”