19 | durahregion.com This Week Thursday, April 21, 2022 FOREVER YOUNG MAY 6 LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE APRIL 29 CELEBRATING 100 YEARS! EPIC EAGLES MAY 13 SKINNAMARINK MAY 15Regent theatRe 50 KIng StReet eaSt, OShaWa | 905.721.3399 CLASSIC MOVIES 1ST THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH RETURNING SEPTEMBER 2022 FOR tICKet anD eVent LIStIngS www.regenttheatre.ca BOX OFFICe hOURS tUe - FRI. 10am - 3pm also open 2 hours before performances With many COVID-19 restrictions lifted, Community Care Durham (CCD) is getting ready to open up more in-person programming. "I missed them terribly, I'm glad they reopened. It's good for me because I find it very stimulating and I like the staff," said Trevor Chalmers, who had two strokes in his early 50s and attends the Adult Day Program at the Pickering-Ajax hub. Thousands of Durham residents, and their care-givers, rely on CCD supports to maintain their independence at home. The charitable organization runs food and nutrition programs, health and wellness services, offers help-at-home support, and transportation. There are 360 CCD staff and 900 active volunteers across Durham Region. "We are delighted to support (CCD) and have to send a massive message of thanks to your staff and in particular the volunteers," said Clarington Mayor Adrian Foster. "We could not do, at any level of government, what these folks do." Many of the regular programs, including the Adult Day Program, were interrupted by the pandemic and had to go virtual. "It was not happening for a while, and we really missed it. I think it was really good for my husband," said Sharon Chalmers. "The socialization is so good for mental health, and the staff are so caring and helpful." The Adult Day Program reopened in late 2021 with restriction and at a reduced capacity due to COVID-19. For Chalmers, that means going to CCD only one day a week, instead of two. The program hours are shorter. The number of participants are greatly reduced and, at first there were plastic partitions between them. "It was better than not having them open," said Chalmers. "We do a bit of exercise, a bit of brain games. They give us lunch and sometimes we play bingo. I'm pretty good at the bingo." The Adult Day Program is still operating at reduced capacity due to the pandemic. "We will see an increase in this program as the population ages and are very eager to see the restrictions around COVID ease so we can bring more people into our program," said Community Care Durham CEO James Meloche. Pre-pandemic, CCD already ran one of the largest Meals on Wheels programs in the province. Since COVID-19 started two years ago, the demand for meals has been strong. CCD meals programs -- Meals on Wheels and Community Food Box -- saw a large spike over the pandemic, delivering an extra 67,000 meals and serving an additional 800 clients a year, according to the CCD 2020-2021 annual report. "We delivered a new program called the Community Food Box, supporting local businesses (including produce partners like Algoma Orchards and City of Greens Clarington)" said Meloche. "We delivered almost 6,000 boxes and those boxes contained everything from fresh fruit and vegetables to daily pantry essentials." Through the height of the pandemic, CCD maintained home support services, and in fact increased home visits by 10 per cent. There was only a brief disruption when staff were ill with the Omicron variant of COVID-19. With COVID-19 restrictions eased, CCD plans to welcome more clients to in-person programs. This month, many clients are excited about the return of the Congregate Dining program. Soon the Exercise and Falls Prevention program could also transition from virtual to in-person. Going forward, CCD will focus on investing in technology -- looking for ways to expand services with a relatively flat base budget from the Province of Ontario, Meloche explained. "We expect we'll serve twice the number of clients in the next 10 years than we're serving now, but we can't be twice the number of staff," said Meloche. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: At a recent meeting with Clarington council members, Community Care Durham outlined how the pandemic impacted the organization and how they are planning the next steps to reopening. COMMUNITY CARE DURHAM OPENS MORE IN-PERSON PROGRAMS Always in good spirits, Trevor Chalmers (above) took part in an exercise session while participating in the Adult Day Program at Community Care Durham's Pickering-Ajax hub. Right: Volunteer Amar Banerjee loaded his vehicle with Community Care Durham's Nadine O'Gorman. Community Care Durham began a Community Food Box service at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Town of Ajax recently offered the group the use of the Audley Recreation Centre to help pack the boxes, which are then shipped out to people in need. Jason Liebregts/Metroland JENNIFER O'MEARA jomeara@durham region.com NEWS HOW CCD SUPPORTED THOUSANDS OF VULNERABLE DURHAM RESIDENTS THROUGH THE PANDEMIC - AND WHAT'S NEXT?