GUELPH -- Picking up a pandemic pastime has become a familiar trend, and at 85-years-young, Guelph retirement resident Lloyd Hetherington has landed on one that is pretty unique. He's now a podcast co-host.
Hetherington arrived the village of Riverside Glen a month before the lockdown in March.
“When I arrived at Schlegel Village, I was at loose ends," he said. "I’d lost my wife, I’d been the caregiver for her several years because of dementia.
"I arrived tired, on medications to deal with nerves, and the manager very wisely tried to channel me in various directions.”
Hetherington says the staff guided him towards this new podcasting venture as a way to help him channel his anxiety.
After a rigorous interview and audition process, Hetherington was selected to co-host #ElderWisdom - Stories from the Green Bench alongside former radio personality and author Erin Davis.
“The podcast had been in the air for a couple of years now, and it was like do we...do we not. And I think this year pushed us, and said yes we need to. Because everybody is accessing technology this year in different ways, so let's share the wisdom of the elder through a new venture,” said Ted Hudson, the Online Engagement Manager for Schlegel Villages.
So far, the podcast has covered everything from the topic ageism with a guest from a long term care home in Windsor, to a resident at a home in Brampton who had a brush with royalty during their time in the hospitality industry.
Hetherington says he hopes their show can help connect people from different generations.
“I’ve had some fantastic times," he said. "I benefit from it and I trust that other listeners to the podcast benefit from it as well.”
Heading into 2021, the podcast has been signed for an addition 26 episodes to continue sharing stories and creating connections.
