Senior services in the municipality of Emerson-Franklin continue to grow due to an increasing number of older adults maintaining an independent life at home with healthy lifestyles.

Emerson-Franklin Senior Services provides healthy lifestyle education, meals and physical programs for seniors to several communities in the municipality.

Board Chair Joanne Drewniak said the number of people using Seniors Services in the area is growing.

"We have more seniors staying longer in their homes with our support, so this program is very important to the ageing population of these communities."

Annual funding for this service comes from Southern Health-Santé Sud, providing $55,000 for their operations budget.

"Those funds are used to employ our seniors coordinator and our chef that we have providing our healthy meal programs. We raise funds by ourselves, also through our meal program, we offer healthy nutritious meals for our program, but we are very good with our budget."

Drewniak explained additional funding for special education programs on things like mental health, fall prevention and fun physical programs like walking and yoga come from seniors grants, additional fundraisers, and donations.

Seniors Coordinator Lorri French has continued to incorporate a number of new programs yearly that help with maintaining physical activity and at home independence, helping many stay in their homes much longer than they would without help.

"We have so many programs available this summer season. I have exercise programs like the walking group in Dominion City that happens on Wednesdays at 10 o'clock and we have new walking poles to use. We also have pickle ball coming up that ran in Dominion City for the last year, and was so popular that we received a grant to purchase more equipment and run the program in Emerson as well. The program will take place in Emerson on Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.," explained French.

French added other programs include yoga, trips to museums, parks, craft shows, casinos and several garden projects and tours happening with the local Woodmore Women's Institute.