10 February 2022 - Toronto - Veterans Affairs Canada
Today, the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, alongside the Honourable Robert Oliphant, Member of Parliament for Don Valley West, announced that Sunnybrook Veterans Centre will be awarded funding for two projects through the Veteran and Family Well‑Being Fund.
The first project - Vibrant Veterans: Yoga Therapy to Support Well-Being - will receive $130,000 to offer group and individual yoga sessions to Veterans. This project will support independence, increase mobility and improve overall quality of life. The program will also offer therapeutic yoga to family members facing caregiver burnout, as well as to staff members facing greater levels of stress and burnout from being on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The second project will receive $110,000 to help reduce the impact of mandatory isolation on frail, elderly individuals in long-term care. Sunnybrook Veterans Centre will design and implement an interprofessional approach to reduce the risks of isolation for Veterans and other seniors required to undergo a period of quarantine for medical reasons.
This year's Veteran and Family Well-Being Fund recipients are focusing on issues affecting Veterans and their families during the post COVID-19 recovery, such as homelessness, retraining, employment, and health challenges, along with supporting equity-seeking groups such as women and LGBTQ2 Veterans. This support is made possible through additional investments in the Veteran and Family Well‑Being Fund in Budget 2021.
Since 2018, the Veteran and Family Well‑Being Fund has provided financial support to private, public and academic organizations striving to improve the lives of Veterans and their families through innovative projects, initiatives and research.
