There’s value in connecting with neighbours

By Lethbridge Herald on July 31, 2025.

Rachel Savage, Albana Isai  & Paula Rochon
Quoi Media

Your neighbour can be a lifesaver, in good times and in bad. Whether shoveling your sidewalk, lending a missing ingredient for that favourite recipe, recommending a new local restaurant or offering a friendly wave to start your day, these small gestures often offer much-needed support.

Research shows that individuals with strong ties to their communities have higher levels of emotional well-being than those with weaker connections. This is true even for adolescents who are less likely to experience depression and anxiety after stressful events when they live in neighbourhoods with high social cohesion.

Social connectedness has also been linked to a lower risk of premature mortality, meaning we live longer when we are connected to others.

The value of this connection with those who live around us increases further in times of crisis.

Wildfires experienced recently in Manitoba, and regularly over the last several years in Alberta and B.C., floods, deadly heat waves across several regions of the country, and the COVID-19 pandemic have all demonstrated the power of neighbours uniting in the face of emergencies.

Despite these benefits, many Canadians don’t know most of their neighbours. This is especially true for people residing in condos and apartment buildings, who are less likely to know their neighbours than those living in detached homes.

This lack of connection may be felt most acutely by older adults, who are more likely to live alone and are at higher risk during crises like pandemics or extreme weather events.

Naturally occurring retirement communities (NORCs), high-rise buildings where many older adults live, may be one way to change this.

Women’s College Hospital’s Women’s Age Lab is working with the University Health Network’s NORC Innovation Centre and Barrie Housing to evaluate supportive service programs being delivered in high-rise NORC buildings across Toronto and Barrie. These programs help older residents stay healthy and connected with their neighbours through on-site group activities like fitness classes, health and wellness events, digital literacy workshops, potluck dinners and coffee socials.

Additionally, programs promote a culture of mutual support among neighbours, with ride shares, check ins and regular gatherings in shared spaces.

These programs are critical as new research from Women’s Age Lab and the NORC Innovation Centre shows that older adults living in NORC buildings have greater health needs than those in other housing types within the community.

Many NORC residents are women, live alone and have low income — factors that increase the risk of loneliness and social isolation. These groups are also more vulnerable to the effects of climate emergencies, like extreme heat.

Peer support initiatives in NORC buildings, like neighbours helping neighbours programs, can strengthen social connections among residents while also enhancing older adults’ resilience to climate emergencies.

Intergenerational cohousing is another initiative that encourages interaction between neighbours and builds a stronger sense of community. Canada HomeShare matches university students needing affordable housing with older adults who have extra space in their homes. Programs like this can provide innovative solutions to many complex issues in the world today — the housing affordability crisis, the growing public health issue of loneliness and meeting demands to support older adults to age in place.

Investments in programs like these are more critical than ever before.

In Canada, record low fertility rates result in fewer children available to support aging parents, and high proportions of Canadians living alone mean smaller, more distant social support networks.

The COVID-19 pandemic also left a mark on our social networks. A 2022 poll by the Angus Reid Institute found that 36 per cent of Canadians report less interaction with neighbours than they used to and almost one third feel disconnected from the neighbourhood they live in. This means that fewer and fewer Canadians have support from neighbours to draw on when they need it.

Strengthening ties between neighbours can fill these gaps and are not just helpful during a crisis — they can also offer us an opportunity to lead longer and happier lives.

As the frequency of pandemic and extreme weather events increase in Canada, knowing our neighbours can help us navigate the next emergency together. But don’t wait for disaster to connect with those around you — do it today.

Dr. Rachel Savage is a scientist at Women’s Age Lab, Women’s College Hospital and an assistant professor, University of Toronto. Albana Isai is a research trainee at Women’s Age Lab and holds a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Toronto. Dr. Paula Rochon is professor and RTOERO chair in geriatric medicine at the University of Toronto and founding Director of Women’s Age Lab.

©Quoi Media.