Reconnecting elders, welcoming spring
Elder Trudy Hemlock enjoys meeting new people at the sugar shack. Fern Marmont The Pines Reporter
Nearly 100 elders gathered on Wednesday for the long-anticipated elders’ sugar cabin luncheon at Farsa Sugar Shack.
“It’s been several years that we’ve been doing this for the elders so they can come out and socialize together,” said Gloria Nelson, the in-home support manager at the Kanesatake Health Center (KHC).
The gatherings are designed to combat isolation among the elders, many of whom may not regularly leave their homes. Nelson explained this initiative grew from that simple observation.
“As we know, the elders don’t always come out and socialize,” said Nelson. “They stay home and socialize with the TV.”
The sugar shack outing, organized alongside biweekly elders’ luncheons, has become one of the more popular events on the elders’ calendar.
Nelson said more than 90 people were expected and that she usually gets multiple messages and calls from elders in the days before, explaining how excited they are for the event.
Nelson added that visiting a sugar shack at this time of year has cultural significance.
“Maple syrup is part of our culture and tradition,” said Nelson. “To me, and I’m sure for other elders, it’s almost like welcoming spring.”
While Nelson joked that the elders’ appetite is always impressive, for many of the attendees, the event is more than the split pea soup, or maple-soaked ham, or pouding chomeur. It is also a rare opportunity for families and friends to reconnect.
“Familiies come together,” said Nelson, explaining that the event is open to Mohawk elders that live in the area.
“I feel sometimes, you know, people get busy, and we take family for granted,” said Nelson. “But when they come together, it’s beautiful to see and feel.”
Trudy Hemlock, one of the participants and a resident at Riverside Elders Home, said the event was a chance to reconnect with relatives and meet new people.
“It’s nice to get together,” said Hemlock.
“It’s always nice to be recognized and known,” said Hemlock, who shared that at the event a stranger recognized her through a common relative.
“There’s so many of us that are leaving,” said Hemlock, noting the bittersweet reality of these gatherings. “We don’t know who’s passed until we get together.”
For Louise Godbout, whose family gathers annually for the sugar shack lunch, the event represents renewal and an important way to celebrate spring.
“We compare pictures that we have, and we talk about the old days. It’s nice to reminisce and keep in touch,” said Godbout.
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“There are not many occasions now to meet,” Godbout added, with events like this taking on an important role.
“It’s nice for people to see that we are indeed a big community,” she said. “So this is a good way to connect and break the isolation.”
Fern Marmont, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
