Over 500 people took part in recent studies looking at seniors programming in the City of Moncton.
These involved online surveys and in-person engagement sessions. Participants ranged in age, with most over 55. The main goal was to gather information from participants.
Based on survey responses, some of the things they heard include a need for better promotion of existing activities, a dedicated space for activities, more programming for the north end, a need for digital literacy and more pickleball facilities.
“What we heard over and over again is that it’s not that the activities didn’t exist, but that people couldn’t find them. Cost and location were also mentioned as barriers,” Aloma Jardine, Director of Communications, told Moncton City Council this week.
To say informed, the most popular ways people said they were staying informed included word of mouth and Facebook.
The majority stated they would like to get the information from the City of Moncton website.
“We heard loud and clear that we need to do a better job of promoting existing programming available in the city,” Community Development Officer Ellen Jeffries says.
“It’s certainly easy to feel like there’s nothing to do, and nothing is going on when there’s not an easy place to go to stay in the loop.”
They have now expanded the City of Moncton website to become a hub of recreational activities for seniors. This includes information on festivals and events, as well as maps of trails and public transit.
“We have also worked to brand and improve the accessibility of our seniors newsletter. Those interested in receiving the newsletter can find a link to sign up online,” Jeffries adds.
Seniors’ month is in June, and more marketing is planned to help spread the word on all of the activities happening in Moncton.
