The volunteer teams at Almonte General Hospital and Carleton Place & District Memorial Hospital are partnering with Mills Community Support to help keep people safe and healthy during the winter months.

The Get a Grip program, as it is known, also helps to reduce social isolation by helping seniors feel confident that they are safe to walk outside.

Both hospital gift shops now stock ice cleats that can be attached to winter boots.

Get-A-GripMills Community Support (MCS) launched the Get a Grip program last year, distributing and selling 1,000 pair. The cleats are easy to install on boots and can be worn inside.

“We know that the number one reason seniors end up in long-term care is because of a fall. The cleats can help,” explains Rob Eves, MCS’s CEO. “Thank you to our local hospitals for promoting this important program.”

Everyone over 65 in Lanark County is eligible for a free pair of ice cleats. Seniors who can afford to pay are invited to contribute $25. People under 65 can also purchase the cleats for $25. If two people purchase cleats, they are funding a third pair for free for someone else who may not be able to pay.

“This is a great collaboration between our volunteers and Mills Community Support,” explains Mary Wilson Trider, President & CEO. “A lot of seniors visit the hospitals, as patients, volunteers and gift shop customers. It makes sense to offer the cleats in the gift shops to help  keep people safe.”

For more information on the program by click or tap of click here.

You can also reach Mills Community Support at (613) 256-1031 or info@themills.ca to find out where you can find the cleats near you.