Darien and Teddy live in Comox, a small island town of 15,000 residents located off the coast of British Columbia (BC), Canada. Through the United Way’s “Safe Seniors, Strong Communities” initiative, Darien and Teddy have their groceries delivered, receive hot meals three times a week and enjoy regular check-in conversations by phone. Due to their existing health conditions, it would be extremely difficult for them to have access to these necessities if it weren’t for the Safe Seniors program. Teddy expresses deep gratitude for the volunteers who assist the couple with great care and empathy—and especially appreciates that the grocery and meal drop-offs help them to maintain a sense of independence while remaining safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. Darien looks forward to the check-in phone calls and depends on them for a sense of routine and connection. These interactions make it far less frightening to stay physically distant. They hope that when help is no longer required they will be able to remain friends with the volunteers who assist them.

Imagine you’re the casting director of a musical with a seemingly impossible task: Find 30 seniors in Vienna who are willing to sing and dance on stage. With a callback rate that usually lies between 5–7%, it was clear that at least 500 seniors would have to be found to cast the best 30. The entire city would be notified of this innovative cultural act—and the most renowned singing and dancing coaches in Austria had been hired to train the amateur actors' group. No pressure!  All of your hope lies on a city-wide media and PR campaign to invite seniors to come to the casting; a campaign that was announced in traditional media channels like print, radio and local TV. A few weeks pass and only 150 people apply. You’re trying to think outside the box: Let’s target the grandchildren! You start running a campaign on Instagram titled “Sign Your Grandma Up to Perform On Stage”. Zero response. Then it hits you: Target seniors on social media with a video campaign! A few days pass and then, suddenly, the applications start pouring in. 600 submissions in 10 days! You probably already guessed which media channel helped to reach the goal: Facebook.

Connie Newman understands the issues that seniors face; since her retirement she has devoted her life to advocating for the needs of seniors. As a retired high school teacher, Connie’s ability to bring people together and solve problems makes her perfect in her role: “I am a connector. I firmly believe the more knowledge that people have, the more they control their own destiny. My work aims to help people socialize and gain information.” What are the main issues Connie think seniors are facing right now? Income insecurity: did I save enough money, where can I afford to live, can I eat healthy and can I afford to socialize with the money I have available? Where can we find solutions? Through gathering: people gather over food, families gather over dinner, small communities gather over coffee & conversation events. People want to be seen and appreciated—no matter their age. For many older people who watch TV all day—no wonder they get depressed, the news is constantly negative! Connie remarks, “We need to get people out of their house and engaged in all the good things that are happening in our world. My message to people of all ages: Smile and say hi when you walk by somebody on the street. It’s simple. Respect people that are different than you. ” COVID-19 has impacted many businesses and nonprofits — and Winnipeg’s community radio station CJNU 93.7FM is no different. When they announced to their listeners that they may have to sign off, the community rallied to help fund the radio station confirming the incredible impact the station has with its listeners.

The Rendever team invited the residents of a senior living facility to join a Google Streetview VR experience. Rupert, one of the residents, asked if they could visit his hometown in Ohio. Specifically he wanted to visit his family home where he and his wife raised their two daughters. Rupert was able to walk around the outside of the house and share stories about the two chickens his daughters used to chase, the Tango-dancing neighbors, and everything he loved about his wife Jean. The whole room was in tears. Rupert would typically sit outside the senior living home every Friday with a packed suitcase, waiting for someone to collect him to take him back home to Ohio. When the Rendever team followed up they were told by the facility management that Rupert no longer sat outside on Fridays. The VR experience had given him the ability to visit the house and relive the memories one last time. Eat. Sleep. VR. Repeat. Enabling Seniors to teleport wherever they dream to visit.

78-year-old Bo Shan is a member of the Atayal group, Taiwan’s second largest indigenous community and are located in the country’s central mountains. Bo Shan had been healthy and active for most of his life, until one day he got a bad cold and went to the hospital for a check-up. He was admitted and a tracheostomy tube was inserted. What followed was a difficult period of constant transition between the hospital and nursing home. Bo Shan felt deeply alone and wished to go back home to his village. Plahan came forward to help. Plahan in Atayal means “people sitting around the fire pit, gathering together to support each other”. The organization formed a multidisciplinary team to help Bo Shan return home and receive the care he needed. The care team further assisted Bo Shan to reconnect with his family and friends at church. Gradually, Bo Shan regained his ability to live independently and began to embrace a new role as a supporter of other seniors in the community. “Because of Plahan, I could go back home and find joy in life that had been long lost since I was admitted to the hospital and nursing home. Plahan offers me not only care and support, but also an extended family. I am grateful and willing to be the support to others in my community,” says Bo Shan.

Amrita Narain started teaching cooking over 25 years ago, but as a full-time working mother she decided to take a break. Now retired, she reignited her passion for teaching when she heard about Diaspo. She is now instructing people who share her passion for food through online classes. Teaching gave her something to do during the pandemic when the lockdowns began. Her recipes aren’t from any cookbooks—they are unique to her family, gathered through letters from her mother and sister over 30 years ago. Sharing these recipes, especially with the younger generations, fills her with gratitude and pride—it allows her to pass on the belonging and identity of her Indian heritage. Amrita recently spoke to a 17-year-old participant of her online cooking class on Southern Indian cuisine. He told her: “Growing up in London, we dress British and speak British and when we eat Indian food it often tastes like fast food. Learning how my grandmother in Chennai was cooking gives me the sensation of the culture that I come from.” Amrita is one of Diaspo’s three dozen senior private chefs, each of whom are from different cultural backgrounds. The community continues to grow each month and the fact Amrita is earning extra money from teaching these classes is icing on the cake.