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Letter writing project helps with pandemic loneliness among seniors

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The SHOUT Chestemere girls spend time with a Synergy board members who has singed on to be a grand-lady for one of the Langdon SHOUT girls. Photo Submitted/For Rocky View Weekly

A letter-writing project that partners young girls with older women in Rocky View County (RVC) may help alleviate loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The program works to add a new and interesting connection in [the seniors'] weekly routines and helps support a sense of connection within the community,” said Ashi Saini, program facilitator with Synergy. “Especially with the pandemic, these letters can spark excitement and hope in these otherwise confusing and uncertain times.”

According to  Saini, the Grand-Letter program pairs local “grand-ladies” with girls aged 10 to 13 in the Synergy SHOUT Girls Program.

The inspiration for the program came after members of the Synergy SHOUT Girls Program visited the Prince of Peace Retirement Community in Calgary to hand out Valentine’s Day cards, Saini said. During the visit, she noticed the girls and seniors formed an immediate bond.

“The girls were so good at connecting with them,” she said. “Everyone was having so much fun...I just thought it would be nice if they could...regularly have a connection with a senior in the community.”

Normalizing intergenerational friendships is important, she said, especially with high rates of loneliness among the elderly population.

According to Statistics Canada, 1.4 million seniors have reported feelings of loneliness – 25 per cent of these seniors were men and 40 per cent were women.

According to Candace Konnert, a psychologist at the University of Calgary who leads the Healthy Aging Lab, those numbers have likely increased during the pandemic, “especially for individuals living in long-term care who are separated from their family members.”

There is no definitive answer as to why the rates of senior loneliness are higher among females, Konnert said, but it could be due to “differential longevity” between the sexes, meaning there are more women than men in nursing homes. However, she cautions it's important not to underestimate the rates of loneliness among men.

Intergenerational efforts like the Grand-Letter program are really important, Konnert said.

“There are a lot of mutual benefits for both the young girls and the older women,” she said. “I really applaud them for engaging in that activity.”

The program has now been running for a month, and 11 girls and seniors are corresponding via email. Although the initial idea was to have them handwrite the letters, Saini said a switch to email was made to keep the seniors safe during the pandemic.

The goal is for the girls to send one email per week, she said, adding that the seniors have commented the weekly messages make them feel both excited and nostalgic.

The program is open to all senior ladies in RVC who are members of Synergy. Interested participants can join Synergy for free by emailing Saini at [email protected] or calling Synergy at 403-212-0242.

Kate Mackenzie, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @katefmack

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