News

The CAPABLE (Community Aging in Place, Advancing Better Living for Elders) program has expanded to more neighbourhoods in the Halifax Regional Municipality, helping more seniors to live safely and independently at home.

Together with staff and clients of VON, Nova Scotia’s Department of Seniors and Long-term Care announced the expansion of the program at the Dartmouth Seniors Centre on October 2, 2024. 

“We know that seniors want to stay in their homes and in the communities they contribute so much to,” Barbara Adams, Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care, told the gathering. “In many cases, this can be achieved with some simple changes. This is what the CAPABLE program is all about. I’m so happy to be able to extend this help to even more seniors and give them the tools they need to live comfortably and safely.”

Kaili van Vulpen, Director of Home and Community Care for VON Greater Halifax, told attendees, “We are pleased to say, we have already graduated 49 clients, with 50 other clients currently enrolled in the program. Hearing about the overall benefits of the CAPABLE program thus far has certainly been inspiring for our team.”

The CAPABLE program pilot launched in December 2023 in Preston Township, and expanded into Kings County and the Halifax area early in 2024. The program sees teams of nurses, occupational therapists and handy workers support eligible seniors ages 65 and over with mobility, safety and confidence in living independently. 

VON is the first organization in Canada to implement this program, designed by the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing.

 “I am very grateful for the program. The people are wonderful,” says graduated CAPABLE client John Lutz. “They showed me ways to improve how I was doing things–like picking things up from the floor with long-reach gizmos that I received and using new rails that make getting in and out of the bathtub much safer. It’s given me a lot of self-esteem and confidence and helped me stay in my home.”

East Preston resident Spencer Colley is also a graduate of CAPABLE. “The changes made through CAPABLE have really made a difference in our household,” Spencer says. “What the team put in place has helped my wife as well. We were taught exercises that my wife and I now do. These exercises and new support bars that have been installed have really helped me with my balance. They’ve done a wonderful job.”

The pilot program has now expanded to neighbourhoods including Highfield Park, downtown Dartmouth, Burnside, Woodside, Albro Lake, Fairview, Armdale, south end Halifax, Rockingham, Sherwood Heights and Purcells Cove.

For more information or to apply, visit: von.ca/capable, or call 1-888-925-6101.