ST. PETER’S: Music, food, friends, and memories were plentiful on October 19, as a weekly gathering of adults with various mental health conditions and related issues celebra
ted a decade of operation.
The Adult Drop In Group held a 10th-anniversary celebration at St. Peter’s Lions’ Hall, which is the latest location in the community to host the service, following the Bonnie Brae Seniors’ Club and Richmond Villa. Started in 2006 by a group of local mothers, the group was – and is still – sponsored by the Dr. Kingston Community Memorial Health Centre, the Guysborough-Antigonish-Strait Health Authority (GASHA) and its replacement, the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA).
Volunteer Alice Frost, who originally conceived of a weekly gathering for adults dealing with mental illness, was one of several volunteers who immediately saw a difference in the clients who began attending the Adult Drop In, including her son Alan Williamson, who was 27 at the time.
“He’s like a different person,” Frost declared.
“He loves coming here, he loves socializing with people, he feels safe here – we’re like a family.”
The group started with six-to-eight members and now sees as many as 25 people from around St. Peter’s, River Bourgeois, L’Ardoise, Potlotek First Nation, and Louisdale, including volunteer Marie Burkey’s youngest daughter, Bridget.
“Bridget loves to play crib, so now she gets to play crib every Wednesday afternoon,” Burkey beamed.
“It’s just the idea that Bridget’s hanging out with different people, because she’s alone with us most of the time.”
Adult Drop In activities include the serving of tea, coffee, snacks and sweets, along with low-budget meals created monthly by a visiting NSHA dietician. Various other health professionals have also served as guest speakers for the weekly sessions, which also include bingo games whose prizes are donated by community residents.
More recently, Adult Drop In road trips have taken the members to attractions as diverse as Sherbrooke Village, Iona’s Highland Village Museum, Fortress of Louisbourg and Two Rivers Wildlife Park on Grand Mira Road.
“They just love to go on trips,” Burkey enthused. “And it’s with the gang, so they enjoy it a lot more. When you go with your family, it’s a lot more fun.”
Through it all, the Adult Drop In provides a safe place for those dealing with many different issues to feel welcome, relaxed, and free to share any concerns or difficulties they may be experiencing at any given time.
“It just helps people realize that they can be accepted in the community,” Frost suggested.
“You don’t have to have a mental illness to come. If you’re lonely, if you’re grieving, if you’re at home and bored, just come and socialize with us. We always have a good time.”
As for what lies ahead for the service, Adult Drop In volunteers are expecting their Wednesday gatherings to continue for the foreseeable future.
“This could go on for years,” Burkey predicted. “There’s no need to stop.”