Story and photos by Deborah Carr, Author
Every Monday and Wednesday morning, Valley Baptist Church in Edgett’s Landing bustles with activity as seniors gather for Nursing Homes Without Walls (NHWW). The coffee’s on, plates are filled with healthy treats, and conversation flows alongside upbeat tunes like Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl.
Funded by New Brunswick Social Development, and delivered through Forest Dale Nursing Home, NHWW supports healthy aging at home by fostering social interaction, encouraging physical activity and assisting seniors access necessary services. Fundy-Albert’s program, led by Shelly McNaught, launched in March 2024 and has grown into a thriving community with 372 participants.
Every Monday and Wednesday morning, Valley Baptist Church in Edgett’s Landing bustles with activity as seniors gather for Nursing Homes Without Walls (NHWW). The coffee’s on, plates are filled with healthy treats, and conversation flows alongside upbeat tunes like Billy Joel’s Uptown Girl.
Funded by New Brunswick Social Development, and delivered through Forest Dale Nursing Home, NHWW supports healthy aging at home by fostering social interaction, encouraging physical activity and assisting seniors access necessary services. Fundy-Albert’s program, led by Shelly McNaught, launched in March 2024 and has grown into a thriving community with 372 participants.
Free for Fundy-Albert residents aged 60 and older, it began as a simple walking program delivered in four communities from Lower Coverdale to Alma, but quickly evolved to include games, socializing, and home visits for those unable to attend in person. Many seniors have no family nearby, so loneliness is a pressing issue.
“We’re here for the seniors in our community and to keep them in their homes as long as possible,” says Shelly. She says the difference she’s seen in some of the regular participants has been remarkable.
Shelly and her assistant, Bridget Cosman, are deeply committed to their work. Shelly, a former nursing home administrator, saw firsthand that problems with mobility or mental health often prematurely led seniors into care facilities. Her solution is to create welcoming space with enjoyable activities designed to keep people healthy, engaged and active.
Bridget, formerly a school bus driver, found her calling in a second career as a personal support worker with seniors. “I felt like everything I was doing—personal care, cooking, loving and supporting them—was worthwhile,” she says. Having worked with Shelly in this capacity, she was excited to join this initiative, feeling the work was life-changing.
Participants find laughter, friendship and support through the program.
Vaughn Snider signed up after Shelly invited him. “It gives me something to do and I’ve made friends that I otherwise only knew by name,” he says. “Like this fella here.” He nudges Gary Brantnall, sitting beside him. “We have things in common and have fun together. Do more laughing than anything else.”
“It’s not just the friendships, but the games, too,” Gary adds. “It keeps our brains active. And we really like Shelly and Bridget—they’re special people.” Without NHWW, he admits, he and his wife Diane would be at home, likely watching TV or napping.
Beyond group gatherings, Shelly and Bridget help participants with government or health-related paperwork and funding applications for home improvements like chairlifts and grab bars. They’ve provided appointment transportation, prescription delivery, helped with light housekeeping, arranged meals and home care for shut-ins, organized potlucks, tournaments in crokinole, bingo, and floor curling, and monthly ‘Lunch and Learns’ with guest speakers, most recently a physiotherapist discussing fall prevention.
The program’s impact is undeniable—mobility improves, friendships deepen, and seniors gain the confidence to ask for help. Through their efforts, Shelly and Bridget are rebuilding the close traditional ties that sustained and nourished rural communities for decades. Last winter, when a participant needed firewood, his newfound community quickly found a supply for him, then arrived to help stack it.
“They have new friends who rally around them, supporting them,” Bridget adds. “Relationships are restored, new ones flourishing and growing.”
Some, like Roxanne Morrissey, appreciate the walking circuits and having conversations with people she hasn’t seen in a long time.
Faye Terris recalls how her late husband Brian, who had dementia, eagerly awaited NHWW’s activities. “Before, I couldn’t get him out of bed in the morning. After, he’d ask daily if we were going walking,” she says. “When Monday morning came, he’d be out of bed in a shot. He loved sitting and talking with the men, listening to their stories.”
Now, as a widow, she enjoys the comfort of community and continuity. “It’s nice to walk in and say good morning, and hear others say good morning back. A lot of people you might meet in the grocery store and say hello, but now we’re really talking to each other.”
Transportation remains a challenge, though, and Shelly hopes to find more volunteers who can drive seniors to appointments in the city. Despite this obstacle—a perennial one for rural communities—the program continues to flourish with 22 more signups over the past three weeks.
“It’s becoming a big family,” Shelly says. “You have to witness it. It’s the easiest and most rewarding job I’ve ever had.”
For more information, reach out to Shelly McNaught at 506-269-3427; email: [email protected]; or visit the NHWW Facebook page: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61556524334090
NHWW Schedule
Lower Coverdale area: Coverdale Baptist Church, Wednesdays 10AM-1130AM
Hillsborough area: Valley Baptist Church on Monday and Wednesday, 9AM-11AM
Riverside-Albert area: Recreation Centre on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9AM-11AM
Alma area: Activity Centre on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1PM–3PM
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