This pandemic has been difficult for many of us, but it’s been especially isolating and frightening for those living in nursing homes or assisted living centers.
For their own safety, elderly individuals have been kept strictly separated from their loved ones, and sometimes even each other. But that doesn’t mean they have to be alone.
In June of 2020, the staff and residents of Phoenix Assisted Care took matters into their own hands and put out a call for pen-pals on Facebook.
Staff members took pictures of residents holding up signs listing their names and some favorite topics of conversation.
Members of the community were encouraged to write letters to these seniors.
Neither the residents nor staff members thought the post would go viral!
The original Facebook post, created by the Victoria Senior Care page, has been shared over 325 thousand times and received of 16 thousand responses.
On October 2nd, Victoria Senior Care posted a statement of profound gratitude,
“We have been overwhelmed with the amount of love and kindness we have received from all over the world and thankful for every bit of it.
From sweet encouraging notes, letters about your families and pets, thoughtful gifts, snacks, activities, and so much more.
Our residents have received thousands of letters and are trying to get responses out as they can.”
It’s not too late to become a pen-pal with one of their many North Carolina senior residents. Like Mark for example…
Or perhaps you’d enjoy chatting about cats and your current favorite novel with Crayteen?
Better yet, if you feel moved by this story, why not reach out to nursing homes in your area? The residents of Phoenix Assisted Care have more than enough letters to keep them busy.
You can give back in a year of social isolation by bridging the gap with something as simple as a letter. And it’s not just about giving back to our elders. They have plenty to teach us, if we take the time to listen.
How have small acts of kindness helped you cope during this pandemic? Let us know in the comments.
