As Occupational Therapy Practitioners working in senior care facilities, we have seen first hand the impact this pandemic is having on our residents and their families. There is a very strict no visitation policy at many if not all senior care facilities in the United States right now. There is no end in sight of when families will be welcomed back into the facilities as we all take this pandemic very seriously and are thinking about the health and safety of our residents.
Both families and residents are both very anxious and stressed right now due to a lack of contact with one another and residents are increasingly becoming more isolated and lonely.
As we continue through this pandemic, we want families and caregivers of our elderly population to be able to rely on us for information, resources, and safe ways for families to stay connected. We also want to offer people the opportunity to help a senior who may even be a complete stranger!
Purpose Therapy Box
Purpose offers their subscription box as a way for families to safe and easily stay connected all year round. Families can purchase the subscription, add photos and messages, and we make sure to send their loved ones items that will encourage aging in place and remind them that they are not forgotten!
Another program Purpose has to offer is the Sponsor a Senior Program. This allows anyone to sponsor a Purpose Box, and that box will be delivered or shipped to a senior care facility to a resident who does not have family or never receives visitors/phone calls. This is a great opportunity to help a senior in need.
Love For The Elderly
If you like the idea of the pen pal and sending something to someone who could use a lift in their spirit right now, we absolutely love our friends over at Love for the Elderly. They are collecting letters to be sent to isolated seniors during the pandemic.
If you would like to write a senior a letter, you can send your letter to our friend Jacob at:
Love for the Elderly- P.O. Box 24248
CHD Living- Adopt a Grandparent Program
This ‘Adopt a Grandparent’ campaign started to bring a sense of comfort to young people and the elderly who may not have grandparents/grandchildren of their own, with the aim of creating long-lasting intergenerational friendships. What started as a local search, reaching out to those local to our home, soon became a global campaign.
If you would like to 'Adopt a Grandparent' click the button below to fill out an application on their website!