Oxford Age-Friendly Steering Committee hosted its first of eight Aging Well Road Shows at the Plattsville Lions Community Hall on Monday, June 15, 2026.
Meagan Litchi, committee chair and public health nurse with Southwestern Public Health, said the free event was designed to help inform aging residents of the various resources accessible to them.
“The Oxford Age Friendly group did a needs assessment last year, and we heard from community members that they really aren’t aware of the programs and services that are available to them here,” she said. “The road show was one of the first initiatives that we thought we would take on to help with that, so we’ve committed to going to each of our eight municipalities within Oxford to host one of these events, and we received a grant from United Way to do so.”
Litchi said the event was inspired by an Oxford Ontario Health Team document created last year.
“It was a navigating guide for all the healthcare services, and that was sort of the inspiration for this event,” she said. “We realized that the seniors who were getting it really liked and appreciated it because it was a paper-based resource, so we wanted to get that information out into the community. We need people to know what’s available and be able to ask questions.”
The chair added that the goal is for the event to be as social and welcoming for everyone and anyone, even if they may not need to access programs and services at the moment.
“We want people to just come and hang out, get to know their neighbours, and talk to any of the partners that might be helpful to them,” she said. “Even if it’s a resource you might not necessarily need right now, we just want people to know that it exists in case they need it down the road so they can be prepared.”
The road show featured just over a dozen vendors who were there to provide information about their various resources.
“We have many of the partners that sit around our age-friendly table here today. We’ve also reached out to other organizations that we heard people needed more information about, so for example the Ontario Caregivers Organization, they’re here and doing a presentation,” said Litchi. “Some of the age-friendly partners we have today include United Way Oxford, the Alzheimer Society, VON, the Oxford Ontario Health Team, Southwestern Public Health, and our seniors dental program is here. We also have Oxford County Library, Woodingford Lodge, the Stroke Network, Ontario Health at Home and Oxford County Paramedic Services, and their community paramedicine program.”
The Ministry of Transportation was also present at the event, as well as Kevin Brandt, Deputy Clerk / Communications Coordinator for the Township of Blandford-Blenheim. Brandt distributed information about the upcoming fall election and new online voting system.
On top of all the information booths, the road show also featured three educational speakers. The presentations informed guests about the Ontario Caregivers Organization and what it offers, what to do when you have a stroke and how to lower your chances of having one, as well as the power of social connection.
Rebekah Lindsay, a public education coordinator with the Alzheimer Society, said she thought the event was a great opportunity to not only inform residents, but to connect with other healthcare partners as well.
“I think it’s a wonderful idea to encourage people to socially connect, engage and learn about resources that can help caregivers, and our older adult population continue to thrive in the community,” she said. “We also talk a lot about the importance of collaborating with our service providers, so I think as a partner of the Oxford Age-Friendly Steering Committee, it’s nice to be able to connect with other community supporters and learn about some of the other resources that the community can access.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
