Janice Smith, Mental Health Program Lead - SEEDs of Success and Coordinator Community Programs - Northwood Bedford Campus with Sam Madore, Marketing & Communications Manager at the Mental Health Foundation of NS
At Northwood Bedford, there’s something beautiful about watching people gather around a table. Hands in soil, paint on brushes, laughter in the air.
For Janice Smith, Mental Health Lead for the SEEDs of Success Program and Coordinator of Community Programs, these small, ordinary moments are where transformation begins. Her journey started in recreation therapy, working with residents in long-term care. “Recreation isn’t just bingo,” she says with a smile. “It’s creating meaningful opportunities that spark joy, connection, and purpose.” She saw how therapeutic recreation could lift spirits and improve quality of life, and she wanted to bring that same philosophy beyond the walls of long-term care.
“In long-term care, programming supports residents with higher care needs,” Janice explains. “In the community, it’s more about prevention, connection, and helping people maintain independence.” Both, she adds, are about helping people thrive, just in different ways.
That belief became the foundation for SEEDs of Success (short for Seniors Engaged in the Environment, Development, and Sustainability). The program uses nature and creativity as pathways to mental wellness: gardening, art, writing, movement, and conversation. “These activities aren’t just something to do,” Janice says. “They’re designed to reduce isolation, encourage expression, and build community.”
After seeing the difference SEEDs made at Northwood’s Halifax campus, Janice wanted to bring the same opportunities to Bedford. That expansion became Roots to Resilience, carrying the spirit of therapeutic recreation and mental health support into a new community. “It’s really about equity and access,” she says. “If something is working, we want everyone to have the chance to experience it.”
Roots to Resilience supports three groups — older adults living in the community, tenants in Northwood buildings, and residents in long-term care — that create a continuum of care that reflects the different realities of aging. It also supports the people around them: caregivers and healthcare professionals who are so often the backbone of these programs.
“Supporting the mental wellness of older adults means supporting their caregivers too,” Janice explains. “When programs create joyful, calm environments, everyone benefits.”
Partnerships have made this growth possible, especially the collaboration with the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia, whose initial funding helped launch SEEDs. “That early support gave us the freedom to test and grow the program,” Janice says. “It planted the roots for everything we’re doing now with Roots to Resilience.”
The Foundation’s investment allowed Northwood to try new approaches to mental wellness that are rooted in creativity, connection, and compassion. “Without that support, programs like this simply wouldn’t exist,” Janice says. “It’s helped us reach more people every year.”
The impact is best told through the people who take part:
“I didn’t need a doctor’s note or a diagnosis, just the courage to say I was having a hard time. That openness made all the difference.”
“Working with my hands in the garden helped me find joy again. Planting a seed or finishing a project gave me hope when I needed it most.”
“Before joining, I spent most of my days alone. The friendships I’ve made remind me that I’m part of something bigger than myself.”
Many participants hadn’t realized how lonely they’d become until they felt connected again. Others found peace they didn’t think was possible later in life.
Roots to Resilience is intentionally barrier-free. The programs are free and open to anyone who feels they could benefit. “You don’t need a referral or diagnosis,” Janice says. “You just need to show up. That’s what makes it welcoming.”
By embedding mental wellness into familiar activities like gardening and art, the program offers a gentle, stigma-free way to nurture mental health. “We’re closing the gap between no support and clinical intervention,” she says. “We’re giving people a safe, accessible way to care for their mental health.”
As the need for mental wellness support among older adults grows, Janice hopes programs like SEEDs and Roots to Resilience will continue to expand. “When someone identifies that they need support, we should be able to welcome them right away,” she says. “My vision is a future where community-based mental health programs for older adults are the norm, not the exception.”
There are many ways to help that vision grow: participate, volunteer, donate, or simply spread the word. “Every bit of support helps,” Janice says. “It ensures older adults in our community can access therapeutic, activity-based programs that reduce isolation and build resilience.”
At Northwood Bedford, those seeds of connection keep taking root. One painting, one garden bed, and one conversation at a time.
This story was first published on November 25th in the Chronicle Herald’s Senior Living column.