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Using music to help fight loneliness in long-term care

Dylan Klempner

February 11, 2019 |

TVO |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: Canada, Fenelon Falls, Ontario

The inclusion of music makes for a more healthful long-term care environment. The nonprofit organization, the Room 217 Foundation, helps lessen the effects of isolation suffered by seniors living in nursing facilities by providing them with access to music therapy. Using grants and with the help of research from the University of Toronto, Room 217 has developed a program that includes both musical activities for residents as well as performances.

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Federally Funded Companions Keep Seniors Connected To Their Neighbors

Patty Wight

January 20, 2019 |

NPR |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Maine

For America's aging population, loneliness is a serious concern and a public health issue; a national program for Senior Companions relies on volunteers, who must be at least 55 years old and commit to at least 15 hours a week, to visit registered participants in their homes. Volunteers and participants become friends, building personal relationships and easing loneliness one interaction at a time.

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'We're going to the pub': finding a way out of loneliness, one app at a time

Tom Wall

January 15, 2019 |

The Guardian |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, Bracknell

In the UK, where loneliness amongst senior residents has been declared a public health issue, councils, churches, and local charities are working to ensure that people are provided opportunities to connect with others and find the social interaction they need to stay healthy. Some of their methods include a community map filled with all of the local activities that take place, including more informal gatherings that take place regularly, and outreach to both older people who might benefit and younger people who might be able to offer a service. The programs have cut loneliness in Bracknell, UK, since 2015.

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Program Pairs Companions With Lonely, Elderly Rural Mainers

Patty Wight

January 07, 2019 |

Maine Public |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Maine

The Senior Companion Program is a federal program that connects homebound or isolated seniors in 12 Maine counties with someone who can visit them each week. Companions can receive a small stipend, which works out to less than $3 an hour. The demand for companionship is high and the program serves around 600 people across the state, with a wait list of more than 300. Both companions and clients express joy from the interactions and the deep friendships that oftentimes form. The program is in need of more companions, particularly men.

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Athens' Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program Addresses Resident Needs

Kristen Adaway

January 06, 2019 |

Grady Newsource |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Athens, Georgia

In Athens, Georgia, an ombudsman program for long-term care residents at senior and nursing homes is holding institutions accountable and ensuring that residents' complaints are heard. The program comes from a requirement in the amended Older Americans Act and encompasses anything from complaints about food to hygiene to being treated with dignity.

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What cities can learn from West Sacramento's age-friendly journey

Courtney McNaull

December 14, 2018 |

Richland Source |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Sacramento, California

As part of the city of West Sacramento's process to be more friendly to their aging population, they partnered with the organization AARP to implement their age-friendly framework and received funding to fund their obligatory three-year plan. This funded the facilitation of many surveys of anyone over 45 in the city, which led to the realization that seniors don't want to be defined by their deficits. This reportedly changed the mindsets of public policy makers, paving the way for future programs to be engaging and uplifting for all ages.

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Steps toward age-friendliness in West Sacramento

Courtney McNaull

December 13, 2018 |

Richland Source |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Sacramento, California

As part of a larger effort to make the city of West Sacramento more friendly to their aging population, an on-demand ride-sharing app was developed to make transportation more accessible for seniors who cannot easily use public transportation. The response has been overwhelming, and the project will soon be able to support itself financially. The city is also using another app to help connect seniors with volunteer opportunities that make use of their skills, which was something else they learned was desired by doing focus groups.

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Growing Men's Shed movement gives retirees a place to talk, give back and feel valued

Gail Rosenblum

December 08, 2018 |

Minnesota Star Tribune |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

To address concerns about loneliness and isolation amongst retired men, organizations like Men's Sheds are gathering to give people a safe space to convey and process emotions while building the personal relationships that will allow them to thrive. The movement, which started in Australia, is now international and rapidly growing.

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How once-vacant sites are becoming hubs for health equity in Michigan

Estelle Slootmaker

December 04, 2018 |

Model D |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Throughout the Untied States there are many rural areas that do not have quick access to hospitals or other means of healthcare, so some providers are turning to repurposing abandoned buildings into clinics. Focusing on populations that often are overlooked in the health care industry, such as the elderly, homeless or uninsured, these clinics aim to increase health equity amongst all underserved populations.

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Care package: the French postal workers helping lonely older people

Angelique Chrisafis

November 23, 2018 |

The Guardian |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: France

France's postal office is combatting declining letter-writing by using their services to tackle another problem: the increasing number of elderly people living alone. With the new service "Watch Over my Parents," postal workers in rural France check in on the elderly and provide some company while delivering the mail - so far, the system serves 6,000 people, with an average age of 82 and a minimum cost of €20 per month.

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