Years ago, Cynthia Spurles used to square dance with Neil and Julia Horsman. These days, the three are spending time together again at Tea and Talk at the Drew Nursing Home in Sackville.
“I know him. He and his wife and I, Julie, we used to square dance together,” Spurles said. “They’re the best square dancers, and the friendliest too.”
Neil and Julia have been married for 66 years. Their history with Spurles is one of the older connections around the room, but Tea and Talk has also given her the chance to make new ones.
Sitting nearby was Liza, who Spurles met through the gathering.
“She and I met through this group and we do a lot of stuff together now, so that’s really nice,” she said. “And then just to see the people regularly, you know, and I’ve done other things with people.”
Meeting people was one of the reasons Spurles started coming. She said she enjoys being around others and described Tea and Talk as a friendly and calm place to spend time with people.
“I really like being around lots of people and meeting people. And it’s a really nice, friendly, calm place to talk to people and meet people,” Spurles said.
Tea and Talk is part of Nursing Home Without Walls, a program that has been operating through the Drew since October 2024. It supports people 60 and older who want to continue living in the home of their choice as they age.
Rachelle Gariepy, the Nursing Home Without Walls Tantramar coordinator, said creating opportunities for people to stay socially connected is part of that work.
“Research now shows that social isolation and loneliness is extremely detrimental to individuals’ health,” Gariepy said. “Reducing isolation and loneliness has immediate health benefits and thereby empowers aging in place, so individuals can live a longer, happier, healthier life in their home of choice.”
Gariepy said some people who became involved with the program had previously been spending much of their time alone at home. Tea and Talk gives people a regular opportunity to be around others and form relationships.
“People are able to talk with one another and meet new people and feel part of something and connected,” she said. “People do communicate to us how much it means to them to feel like they’re part of the family and that they have friendships.”
Rose Kay has been coming to Tea and Talk for a little over a year. She already knew many people in Sackville before she started attending, but said the gathering has introduced her to new friends and gives her a reason to get out of the house.
“Sometimes you can be alone and don’t mix in, and it’s a good way to meet everybody and to say, ‘Hi, how are you?’” Kay said.
She said it also gives people a chance to talk and find out what is happening in each other’s lives.
Tea and Talk is one part of the support offered through Nursing Home Without Walls. The program also provides friendly home visits and check-ins, help navigating information and applications, transportation and access to some services at the Drew.
Gariepy said accessible and affordable transportation is a pressing need in the area. Registered participants can receive drives to medical appointments in Amherst, Moncton and communities in between, with the program relying on staff and volunteer drivers.
“That need will only grow,” she said.
For Horsman, the idea behind Nursing Home Without Walls has become more personal as he has gotten older. His connection to the Drew also goes back years beyond Tea and Talk.
His sister was a resident there and Horsman said he came to the nursing home almost every day for 11 years. Now, he is thinking about what getting older means for him and Julia.
“We all think that we won’t get old but somehow or another it happens,” Horsman said.
Horsman wants to continue living in his cottage. He said knowing there are people he can turn to for help is important as his and Julia’s needs change.
“My wife and I, we need help now, and that’ll probably increase as time goes by,” he said.
Spurles has her own reasons for continuing to come to Tea and Talk. Despite enjoying being around other people, she said she sometimes has a hard time getting out.
“To have something that I know every Thursday morning I’m gonna get up and come and see, you know, a lot of the same people, and see new people too, it’s really important for me, for my life and for my schedule,” Spurles said. “It helps me get out to do other things as well.”
Those Thursday mornings now put Spurles in the same room as people she once square danced with, alongside people she would not have known otherwise.
After the interview was finished, Spurles came back to the conversation with one more thought. Talking about Tea and Talk had made her stop and consider what the gathering had come to mean to her.
“I really like being here, but to think about it and to be reminded of how important this is to me is really helpful,” she said.
Theodore Ramharack holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Western University and a diploma in Broadcast Journalism. He recently completed an internship with CBC News’ The National.
Originally from Ontario, he moved to Sackville to join CHMA as a local journalist and is excited to get to know the Tantramar region and share stories from the community.
