Longing For New Connections? Check Out Chat Pals!
A cheerful senior woman rests her chin in her hand as she looks away. She is sitting at a table in a public park with coffee and her smart phone and waiting for a friend.
An opportunity to connect and rebound from the pains of the pandemic.
- The pandemic, and pandemic fatigue, has impacted the way we interact with one another and has left many feeling isolated.
- Feeling and expressing gratitude is beneficial for your physical health, mental health, and social well-being as the human connection is vital!
- Gratitude is a powerful antidote to a year of challenges and changes, and can help us reconnect.
“Feeling grattitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it” -Willam Arthur Ward
If you have been yearning for a lighthearted or fun conversation with someone new, you’re in luck! Pen Pals just got more personal! Greater Cleveland Volunteers has recently launched their new program, Chat Pals. Chat Pals is a program designed to give support and provide companionship for older adults. Chat Pals is a great way to rebuild connections with others as the pandemic comes closer to an end.
Based on information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), social isolation hits older adults hardest in terms of their health. While it is still important to remain physically distant, finding ways to remain social safety as the world begins to recover is imperative not just to combat the oncoming of major health issues, but also to combat mental health struggles that come along with increased social isolation.
Chat Pals aims to help soften the difficulties the pandemic has brought by matching each recipient with a trained volunteer who has similar interests and life experiences. The pair can call, Zoom, or Facetime weekly, facilitating great way to build a possible friendship and have meaningful conversations. Chat Pals is open to adults 55+ and volunteers 18+.
Being in our world at McGregor and recognizing that so many are isolated at home, now may be a time to consider a move to one of our communities or enrolling in PACE. Both of our organizations understand the needs of older adults who may be trying to stay home or even live in a senior living community of some sort but crave more social connections
Pen Pals hasn’t gone out of style either. Many have related the importance of receiving a handwritten note or card, too!