By Lorraine Glowczak
Studies indicate that strong family and community connections lead to greater levels of health and
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| Heather DiYenno, Director of Saint Joseph's College Institute for Integrative Aging, of Add caption believes that making a simple weekly phone call to older adults who are homebound can combat social isolation and loneliness. The college is seeking volunteers and recipients who may be interested on participating in their new tele-social call program. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
happiness. Social isolation, on the other hand, can produce detrimental effects on one’s mental and physical wellbeing. Depression, anxiety, heart disease, and strokes are a few consequences of loneliness.
What is just as alarming is that the experience of isolation
is growing. In fact, social seclusion has become so prevalent on a global scale
that many countries are taking an active role in its prevention, including
Great Britain’s recently established Minister of Loneliness.
The age group most directly affected by this epidemic is among older adults who are aging in place and/or have physical disabilities that prevent easy social connections with others. This is especially prevalent in remote, rural areas like the greater Sebago Lakes Region area.
But there is good news on the horizon.
It is with this awareness that Saint Joseph’s
College of Maine recently took action and officially launched the Institute for
Integrative Aging (IIA) in May 2019 to help alleviate loneliness among area
residents. Since its inception, IIA has been providing a series of creative,
age-friendly, and intergenerational activities that provide opportunities for
connection and fulfillment. A tele-social call program is their latest endeavor
in these efforts and will be getting underway soon.
“We are in the very beginning stages of this
program and are looking for both volunteers and recipients who would like to
participate,” Heather DiYenno, IIA Director said. “Volunteers will be trained
and paired with a recipient of whose interests and hobbies they have in common.
The purpose of the calls is simply to have fun and light-hearted conversations
at least once a week, and the amount of time spent on each call is determined
by the parties involved.”
The tele-social concept was developed by the Motion
Picture and Television Fund (MPTF), based out of Woodland Hills, CA. The idea
was created by Dr. Scott Kaiser, MPTF’s Chief Innovation Officer and Director
of Geriatric Cognitive Health at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute.
“I was introduced to the MPTF and their tele-social program while attending the Rural Aging Advisory Council in Washington D.C. last fall,” said DiYenno. “They opened my eyes on how effective making a simple weekly phone call was at combating loneliness and I wanted to implement a similar program at IIA.”
DiYenno has researched the platforms and
mechanisms that are already in place at MPTF. IIA is collaborating their
efforts with Southern Maine Agency on Aging (SMAA) and the Retired Senior
Volunteer Program, and volunteers can apply for IIA’s tele-social call program
on the SMAA website at www.volunteer.unitedwaygp.org/need/detail/?need_id=535198.
In addition to the application, volunteers will
also be asked to fill out background checks and confidentiality forms. For
those who may be concerned about the circulation of their personal phone numbers,
they have no reason to fear.
“It’s important to let volunteers and recipients
know that their personal phone numbers will not be used as part of the
tele-social call and conversation,” DiYenno said. “A mechanism is created so
that volunteers call a central line which will require a pin number. This will
connect the volunteer to the recipient’s own phone. No personal information
needs to be exchanged.”
During a time when required social distancing
can further intensify social isolation, particularly among
vulnerable homebound
individuals, participation in the tele-social call program may be the most
important thing one person can do for another.
“A friendly call can brighten someone’s day,”
DiYenno said.
One may be surprised at how much a phone conversation
with an individual experiencing loneliness might also help the volunteer
themselves, brightening their own days from time to time.
For more information on becoming a volunteer or
to refer someone experiencing social isolation, contact Heather DiYenno at IIA@SjCME.EDU or at 207-893-7641.<
