The Original Oasis
Oasis was started as a pilot program over a decade ago by the Frontenac Kingston Council on Aging in Kingston, Ontario. Christine McMillan, who at the time was President of the Frontenac Kingston Council on Aging and serving on two SE LHIN committees, in association with Brian Brophy, a Board Member, initiated this project. The original Oasis research was funded by New Horizons for Seniors, through the Council on Aging. The Kingston Oasis pilot project ran for 3 years and has been a stand alone organization since. Christine has subsequently moved to Toronto where she has initiated an Oasis program there.
Oasis exists in a private apartment building, owned by Homestead Landholdings Inc. in Kingston Ontario.
The idea behind Oasis is to build a community of members who are tenants of the building. The program includes both formal and informal social events, exercise programs, and other activities that may include guest speakers, skill sharing and projects to support the broader community.
A very important component is an affordably priced congregate dining.
An onsite coordinator supports Oasis programs and helps members navigate community supports to meet changing needs and abilities.
Oasis is overseen by a volunteer board of seven members with diverse community and professional experience. The board is responsible for providing oversight to the annual budget and for frequent consultation with the members of Oasis as to their preferences for programming and approval for any programming changes. Members of the board also can offer their own expertise to expand Oasis programming options.
The current membership of Oasis is composed of seniors who reside at the Bowling Green 2 apartment in Kingston, Ontario and who indicate their desire to participate in any aspect of Oasis programming. Membership in Oasis is purely voluntary, without a fee, and open to all residents in the building.
The goal of Oasis is simple; Oasis aims to provide an alternative for older adults to live independently, with proper supports, so they can keep on enjoying life!
Examples of Oasis Programming
Coffee & Conversation - Monday - Friday 10:00-12:00 pm in the Lounge
Euchre - Tuesdays at 1:30 pm in the Common Room
Wii Bowling - Monday and Friday at 1:30 pm in the Lounge
Movies in the Lounge - Wednesday afternoons at 1:30 pm
Exercise Program - Tuesdays and Thursdays at 10:30 am offered by the VON; Saturdays at 10:30 am hosted by an Oasis Member!
Congregate Dining - Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 5:30pm in the Common Room
Oasis monthly Members Meeting - the third Friday of each month, 10:30 - 12:00 pm
Special Events - for example, Volunteer Appreciation Lunch, All Candidates Meetings (municipal, provincial, federal), Guest Speakers
Meet our Coordinator
Ashley Bates has been the Oasis Coordinator at the original Oasis site since Fall 2022. A Kingston area local, Ashley is a wife, mother of 3 boys and passionate supporter of older adults. She graduated from the Therapeutic Recreation program at the University of Waterloo and has many years of experience supporting older adult programming in both long term care and community settings. Notably, Ashley worked for more than 5 years in the Sydenham community support recreational programming, physiotherapy and social programs for older adults living in rural settings. She brings a wealth of skills, education and knowledge to the Oasis program here at our building and has been a great support to us all.