ESTEVAN — Creighton Lodge is starting a Cycling Without Age Canada chapter in Estevan this summer.
The organization's vision is for every Canadian to have the opportunity to feel the wind in their hair from cycling, so Creighton Lodge decided to join the movement and is currently purchasing a special bicycle that will allow volunteers to take seniors out for rides to enjoy the outdoors.
"A couple of years ago, we started looking at it through a conversation with a lady that came into Creighton Lodge and mentioned how great it would be for the seniors to be able to get out on some kind of a bicycle program," shared lodge manager Shelly Veroba.
"So, we looked for bicycles more set for seniors, and then we came across this, which is Cycling Without Age."
She said about 98 per cent of residents were supportive of the idea, and a few said that it wasn't their thing. Once the lodge found an option that would allow their seniors to go on bicycle rides, they started working on funding for the project. It took some time while they were looking into grants, and recently through the RM of Estevan, they received $3,000 in funding through the Sask. Lotteries Community Grant Program.
Combined with the United Way Estevan member agency funding for this year, it made their dream a reality, allowing them to cover the expenses of purchasing, shipping and putting together a just-under $10,000 machine.
The special bicycle should be in Estevan in May, and then the lodge will start looking for volunteers willing to spend some time riding around the community with seniors. Veroba said they hope to have the program up and running as of June 1.
"I'm really excited about this program," she said. "It'll be used more for recreational, and we will plan a safe route so that the seniors can get out and go for a ride in our community, check out the neighbourhoods without putting them into a high-traffic area. We want to make sure it's safe for the seniors. We'll try and look for areas without many hills, probably more in the Pleasantdale area."
The bicycle is built so that one volunteer would be paddling a passenger cabin in the front with enough room for up to two people. The bike comes with a battery-powered motor to help the paddler out a bit if needed.
By purchasing a bicycle, Creighton Lodge is starting a local chapter of Cycling Without Age Canada. They will connect with the global network and join it as an affiliate. The closest chapter currently is in Saskatoon, and Veroba said they will reach out for some tips and advice. And then if it goes well in Estevan, other senior facilities or group homes in the area might want to join.
"It's just something very interesting and different for the seniors to be able to do to get out and enjoy the sunshine without risk of fall," Veroba said.
Both peddlers and passengers will need to fill out forms, have waivers signed and read handbooks, so everyone understands the safety rules of the bike, and follows loading and unloading protocol. Volunteers will also need to provide a criminal record check. Veroba noted they hope to have participants fill out feedback forms afterwards as well so they could learn from it and improve as they move forward.
"After each ride, I think we'll get everyone to fill out how the ride went, if there was any pros or cons or deficiencies or things that were wonderful. Especially if someone finds a really great site that they would like to stop and see, like community gardens or somebody's yard that is really decorated nice or has flowers growing," Veroba explained.
The lodge already had a few family members who said they'd like to join and take their loved ones for rides this summer. If anybody's interested in volunteering as a cyclist for this program and taking seniors for rides, they can sign up and Veroba said it won't be a long process to get them up to speed. To get on the list as a driver, people can call Veroba at 306-634-4154 or send an email to [email protected].
Veroba also thanked Sask. Lotteries grant program and the United Way Estevan for helping them fund this project.
