Russian Seniors’ Trips

By Rita Bourianova

Ottawa Jewish Family Services has a strong belief in the importance of working with immigrant seniors, specifically from the Former Soviet Union. Most seniors come to Canada to join their children and grandchildren, and are quite isolated from the rest of the community. 

We marked the beginning of summer by going on a three-hour boat trip to the Thousand Islands. A group of about 40 Russian-speaking seniors enjoyed the scenery and the wonderful weather. A short walking tour of Gananoque and delicious ice cream completed the trip. 

Later in June, another group of Russian-speaking seniors went to the National Gallery to visit the exhibition of landscape paintings by Renoir. I had the pleasure of providing comments and information about the life of Renoir and about French impressionism in general.

On July 8 a big comfortable coach took us to Montreal. Our program for this trip, for the first time, included a visit to the Botanical Gardens, followed by a tour of the Biodome. As part of “The Country We Live In” Program, we visited the house of Wilfred Laurier and the Ottawa University campus. We also made two trips to Perth and Kingston using the bus kindly provided to us by the Central Park Lodge. Some of our clients, particularly those who are newcomers to Ottawa, asked me to organize a tour around Ottawa which  took place in August. And finally we spent the Labour Day weekend visiting Quebec City and some of the beautiful waterfalls in its vicinity. 

These trips and excursions are an important tool in reaching out to both seniors and their families. For instance, the participants in the trip to the Thousand Islands included nine new clients who have expressed interest in our services.