Helping seniors simplify through AI

An artificial intelligence expert and computer science professor will be speaking to seniors who want to know more about the technology at a free event Wednesday.

The evening, titled Artificial Intelligence for Beginners, will feature David Gerhard, who teaches at the University of Manitoba. It is being held at Westworth United Church in River Heights at 6 p.m.

“For many seniors, artificial intelligence is a mystery,” said Rhea Yates, chair of the church’s council and one of the organizers of the event.

“We want them to know it can be helpful for them in many ways.”

That includes reminding them about appointments, exercise breaks and medication times and giving seniors easy-to-understand advice on how to use other technology. Artificial intelligence can also provide information about health and finance, without the users having to browse multiple websites.

“We want to remove that mystery, let them know what resources are out there,” Yates said.

The event is one of three evening information evenings being offered by the church’s Winnipeg Seniors Supporting Seniors Through Fun and Learning project.

About 50 people gathered to learn more about the architectural history of River Heights last month. On Nov. 1, the church will present Living in Two Worlds: The Ukrainian Experience in Winnipeg. The latter will feature Oksana Tymofii, who came to Winnipeg to escape the war in Ukraine.

The events are part of the church’s larger efforts to reach out to and serve seniors in River Heights. All the topics were chosen by seniors who were consulted by the church.

“We want to be relevant to seniors in our community,” Yates said, noting the pandemic showed how “horrible isolation can be.”

The church also offers things for seniors such as chair yoga, Zumba, pickleball, guitar lessons and line dancing. The key principle is community consultation, Yates said.

“We involved seniors in planning the things we offer,” she said. “We don’t want to provide things that are not in demand.”

The consultations also led the church to buy new chairs that are more comfortable and with armrests so they are easier to get out of.

“That helped our physical environment,” she said.

Yates said there are no expectations attached to participating in anything offered by Westworth church.

“It’s not about getting people in the pews,” she said. “We just want to serve people in the neighbourhood.”

It’s all part of a plan to find ways to utilize the 75-year-old building as a community hub, along with exploring ways to use the property to provide affordable housing for seniors.

“We’re just in the exploration phase,” Yates said, adding the church is working with a local organization with expertise in helping churches develop plans to provide affordable housing

Jordan Cantwell is a regional animator for the United Church of Canada in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and parts of Alberta. Her role is to help congregations find new ways to thrive by engaging and serving their communities.

Churches can only thrive if “if they re-imagine who they are and how they do ministry to be a church for their neighbours and their neighbourhood,” she said.

Westworth, she said, is a good example of a church that “gets it… they know how to be a good neighbour.”

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