Is your loved one feeling isolated? Barriers such as illness, lack of mobility, social anxiety, the death of a spouse, and geographic distance from family can make loneliness hard to fight.
It is important to find solutions because social isolation can contribute to a variety of physical and mental health issues, including decreased cardiovascular health, poor cognitive function, lower immune function, depression, and anxiety.
Several local organizations help provide companionship at home.
Following an assessment with an older adult and their family, ElderCare 4 Families will create a customized companionship plan that addresses the person’s individual wants and desires, then match them with a caregiver based on those requirements and personality. Caregivers can come as little as one hour per week or 24 hours a day, and they can provide in-home care and personal services in addition to companionship if needed.
Sara Olivencia, community outreach coordinator at ElderCare 4 Families, says caregivers commonly spend time with clients playing board games and cards, making crafts, going for walks, exercising, and going out to lunch. They can take clients to the grocery, the movies, the park, the beauty shop, doctor appointments, and anywhere else they’d like to go.
“We strive to match clients with a caregiver they enjoy spending time with,” Sara says “We love it when a friendship develops between a caregiver and a client.”
Seniors Helping Seniors matches older caregivers with clients who are looking for companionship. These caregivers offer a unique perspective as they also have life experience and may share similar interests, hobbies as those they’re helping. In addition to companionship, they provide light housekeeping, cooking, shopping, transportation, and assistance with personal care as needed by the client.
For those who live outside of Jefferson County, the Central Kentucky Community Action Council also offers a companion program where volunteers provide one-on-one social interaction and may also perform household tasks such as cleaning, light meal preparation, and transportation. The purpose of the program is to ease loneliness, provide social support, and build friendships. See a list of counties served on their website.
Hosparus Health Louisville has a companionship program to help relieve loneliness and share interests. Volunteers will visit with your loved one to play games, read, or just sit and talk. For seniors without family or friends in the area, just having someone to talk to or get a hug from can make a big difference.
By Kym Voorhees Raque
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