coronavirus

Volunteer Program Helps Seniors Get Through Pandemic With Conversation

The tele-social program has already matched 250 seniors to their phone buddies.

NBC Universal, Inc.

Staying at home and practicing physical distancing has been hard on all of us- but maybe more so for our seniors, but a volunteer program is helping seniors through this pandemic.

It is a phone program by LA Works that pairs up home-bound seniors to volunteers who simply just talk to them on the phone.

And Sunday, one of those volunteers met her senior in person.

Noel Payne and Roger Fabian had been talking on the phone for about a month before they met in person for the first time. For Payne,  volunteering her time to keep a senior company during this pandemic helped her feel like she was making a difference. For Fabian, he says he looks forward to the phone calls and even considers her a part of his family.

"It's good to have conversation with somebody outside nurses and family members," Fabian said.

Payne said, "Social connection is so important for us...people live longer when they're socially connected."

Volunteers can sign up through the LA works website. Spanish speaking volunteers are needed. The tele-social program has already matched 250 seniors to their phone buddies.

A simple act can make such a difference in a person's life, combating isolation and keeping people connected while staying apart.

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