SUNDRE — A program introduced by the Greenwood Neighbourhood Place Society early during the onset of the pandemic with the intent of connecting with isolated individuals will remain permanent even once the global health crisis has passed.
“We’re going to keep this program running regardless, like even after COVID is gone,” said Renate de Bruijn, the society’s community outreach coordinator.
Officially launching last June, the Friendly Caller program was introduced as a means of providing an opportunity for people who felt isolated to have the option of staying regularly connected with someone, de Bruijn said.
Even prior to the pandemic, the society had already identified isolation among seniors as an area of concern that needed to be addressed. The pandemic’s ripple effects only exacerbated the issue of senior isolation, with some people struggling to cope with public health measures, which have involved restrictions including barring big gatherings as well as visitors from senior lodges, she said.
“The Friendly Caller program started during the COVID-19 pandemic, just to connect with seniors that are lonely and are not coming out of the house because of multiple reasons.”
But the mental health impact caused by pandemic and the protocols has extended beyond seniors, she added.
So, although geared primarily toward the local senior population, she said, “If there’s an adult who’s going through a rough time, we’re not going to turn anybody away.”
As of Thursday, April 15, she said the society had two volunteers providing the service to four people who requested the regular call-outs.
“It’s based on self-referrals,” she said.
“It started slow. But we were expecting that, and we just kept advertising for it.”
While people who are interested in the program must request to be included on the call-out list, de Bruijn added that the non-profit group’s workers also spread the word and encourage anyone they identify as potentially benefiting from the initiative, to consider signing up for it.
“And then, it’s up to the senior or the individual to give us a call back, and we put them on the list.”
The volunteers, who are all screened and vetted through a police background and vulnerable sector check, then coordinate with the person they’ll be connecting with to determine a schedule of when and how often to call, she said.
“And the volunteers did take a little bit of training,” she said, referring to a two-unit psychological first aid course that includes ‘care for yourself’ and ‘care for others’ components.
“Our volunteers took the care for others component.”
The society has also previously endeavoured to deliver other programs to help address senior isolation by providing opportunities to socialize and connect with others, including the monthly art program, which has of course not been running of late because of the pandemic, she said.
“If you make the right connection with a senior who really needs the connection, it can be a great experience,” said volunteer caller Bernadette Giesbrecht.
“You just need to be caring and go with the flow,” Giesbrecht said, adding seniors can be “set in their ways, and you just go with whatever they throw at you with a positive attitude.”
Although more challenging than she had anticipated, she added the experience nevertheless remains rewarding.
Anyone who is interested in getting involved as a volunteer is encouraged to call the society’s office at 403-638-1011 or by emailing [email protected].
“I can’t promise there will be a person that they could call yet,” de Bruijn said.
“But it’s always good to have names of people that are willing to help out,” she added.
And of course anyone who would like to receive calls is also invited to contact the office.
