Using time travel to fight loneliness

Feature Stories | 13 May 2026 | Read time: 5 min | Written by: Laura Dyer

With support from Queen’s nursing students, the Canadian Museum of Health Care is taking Kingston area seniors on a trip down memory lane.

Undergraduate nursing student Mackenzie White always knew she wanted to work with seniors and older adults. Then, this past winter term, opportunity came knocking. Along with fellow Queen’s BNSc students Hannah Goodjohn and Will Rice, MacKenzie was matched with the Canadian Museum of Health Care for her Practicum in Community Health Promotion course. Together with their preceptor, Dr. Simge Erdogan O’Connor, the group set out to build a program that could help seniors experiencing social isolation and loneliness.

This is how The Time Traveller's Club came to be.

A female nursing student in scrubs and a mask is standing next to a table, while another masked female nursing student is assisting someone in a wheelchair, wearing a green hat, whose back is to the camera — Hannah and Mackenzie assisting one of the Time Traveller's Bingo participants.

Where health meets heritage

Increasing feelings of loneliness and social isolation as we age rarely receive the same media attention or political urgency as other health emergencies. Nevertheless, the research is clear about the impact it has on our health. And it’s a problem that’s only growing: in 1971, seniors made up around eight percent of Canada’s population. Today it’s closer to one in five.

“As the aging population continues to grow, there is an increasing need for accessible community programs that support older adults’ well-being,” explains Hannah. “Social isolation is a significant concern and is associated with poorer health outcomes.”

Designed as a mobile program, the Time Travellers Club uses music, bingo, and artifacts from the Canadian Museum of Health Care’s collection to bring participants back to the 1970s—sparking memory recall, encouraging storytelling, and building connection.

“We wanted to combine socialization, education, and access to healthy foods in a manner that felt welcoming and was community-focused,” explains Mackenzie. “And as a travelling program, it allows us to bring the experience directly into community spaces, reducing participation barriers for older adults.”

It’s the type of programming the Canadian Museum of Health Care is uniquely positioned to offer. Not just because of its mission focus, but also perhaps, its history. The museum lives in the Ann Baillie Building, originally built in 1904 as a dormitory for nursing students training at Kingston General Hospital.

“Our museum is a non-clinical space where people of all ages can explore health topics at their own pace,” explains Dr. Erdogan O’Connor, who is also the institution’s director. “We can translate complex medical ideas into engaging cultural experiences and help people feel more confident in healthcare settings. In this way, we complement formal healthcare by strengthening health literacy, trust, and connection within the community.”

Community health in action

The group of nursing students spoke to several community agencies during the planning process, to get advice on the program’s development. Then, they worked with museum staff to run two pilot sessions this past March: one at the Kingston Community Health Centre and another at Providence Manor.
“Creating a space where people felt comfortable reminiscing, connecting, and remembering was incredibly rewarding. It was a very positive and emotional experience, both for the participants and for us,” says Hannah.

A blonde, female nursing student holds a stethoscope over a table of children sitting around her with stuffed animals. — Approximately forty Kingston youth participated in the Teddy Bear Hospital program.

It’s not the only project to come out of the School of Nursing’s preceptor partnership with the museum. Last fall, another group of Queen’s nursing students helped run the museum’s Teddy Bear Hospital program, introducing young children to medical tools and familiarizing them with healthcare settings through play. That program is headed to the Kingston Public Library this summer.

“It is not an easy task to keep the attention of preschoolers for that length of time,” wrote one educator. “The nursing students were fabulous and engaging and the experience was so valuable for the children.”

What comes next

With the winter term now complete, Will, MacKenzie, and Hannah have finished their placement, but the program they helped build will continue to live on. The Time Traveller's Club is also going to visit to the Kingston Public Library this summer, with potential plans to expand to retirement homes and other community centres.

“This placement really reinforced for me that nursing extends far beyond direct clinical care. Health promotion, social connection, and community engagement are all important components of supporting wellbeing,” says Hannah.

Meanwhile, Dr. Erdogan O’Connor is excited about the possibilities continued collaboration between the museum and Queen’s nursing might bring.

“Partnerships like this one point to a future where learning in health and medicine extends well beyond traditional clinical settings. We’re already seeing how small, thoughtful interventions—grounded in community care, empathy and accessibility—can build confidence, reduce anxiety, and make health knowledge feel more approachable. We’re only beginning to see what’s possible.”

All photos belong to the Canadian Museum of Health Care and have been reproduced with permission.

Read time

5 min

Written by

Laura Dyer

Using time travel to fight loneliness

With support from Queen’s nursing students, the Canadian Museum of Health Care is taking Kingston area seniors on a trip down memory lane.

Where health meets heritage

Community health in action

What comes next

Related topics

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