Posted on 05/05/2023 10:05:19 AM PDT by simpson96
PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Eighty-three-year-old Louise has been receiving a phone call around the same time every morning for 20 years.
"If something happened to me that night, the next morning, someone would be calling again," Louise, who lives in Palm Beach County, told WPBF 25 News.
She signed up for free 211 Sunshine Daily calls, which check in on the well-being of seniors and isolated caregivers.
"I have made friends, but it’s not been easy. And I rely on 211 immensely," she said.
She said she wanted to receive these daily calls to make sure that her Dobermanns were taken care of no matter what.
"The thought of me, something happening to me, and them being alone in the house was really, I had to do something," she said.
Throughout the years, the Sunshine Daily calls have become more than just a voice.
"They would talk long enough so that you know that you were more than just a name," Louise said. "There are days that that’s the only person I talk to all day."
U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released an advisory this week on the epidemic of loneliness and isolation. He said a lack of social contact can lead to an increased risk of heart disease by 29%, increased risk of stroke by 32%, increased risk of dementia by 50%, and increased risk of premature death by more than 60%.
"We know there are seniors out in the community who really don’t have anyone looking after them. They’re living alone, isolated," Patrice Schroeder of 211 Palm Beach and Treasure Coast told WPBF 25 News.
"We are also including isolated caregivers in this program. So, if you know somebody that’s a family caregiver, an adult that’s caregiving for another adult family member, they can also sign up for this call," she added.
I check in with my best friend every morning. Have done it for years.
Great idea. 👍
Might be a good use for AI. It would talk for as long as you like.
This is going to be a much bigger issue with the COVID generation. My experience is that younger people don't want to do much outside of their houses. They don't even want to come into the office to work. In my lifetime, society has gone from having block parties, holiday parties, community parties, dinner clubs, bridge / poker clubs, high church attendance, and other participation in community events, to doing almost nothing communally anymore. Everyone wants to sit at home and planning a Haloween Party or dinner party for friends in the neighborhood is too much effort.
I don’t think I could handle having the phone ring 211 times every morning.
LOL, you’re sharp.
Love this! :)
MADD had a huge effect on destroying socializing in America.
The smartphone has had 10x the effect.
The drinking laws are what did it and they very much predate these phone habits.
I watched as people quit driving over to each other’s houses in the evenings and weekends for BBQs and beer, and as dinner parties became sort of over after the meal since people couldn’t keep drinking wine or cocktails and talking, it became coffee and leaving at 9 pm.
That’s a great idea. I have hopefully a long way to go before that would be a concern but I’ve thought about what would happen to my dog (dogs in the future) if I were to croak suddenly. Something like this is a great idea. If you don’t respond, send somebody out to do a wellness check.
You haven’t answered my religion question yet, Sac.
I am proud to announce that in Sarasota, thi gs are back to NORMAL!! My CATHOLIC CHURCH is FULL for EVERY MASS.we have 5 Sundays plus a POLISH Mass..the Daily Mases are also VERY WELL attended! Plus they have PARTIES, BIG DINNERS, CONCERTS, etc!!
Our neighborhood has Parties and many get TOGETHERS! It’s GREAT!
I LOVE, LOVE this ide..HOW DO I VOLUNTEER??
Both of our mother’s really welcomed prepaid telephone cards to call us, other relatives and friends.
That was decades ago.
My wife uses her phones from breakfast to dinner to contact locals, relatives and friends across our nation.
I prefer texting or emails.
One adult son and his wife have a daghter on the East Coast and a son finishing college a couple of hundred miles away.
Every Sunday afternoom, they chat for about an hour with everyone on the line.
I believe they also mail out greeting cards to those who belong to the group.
When I get a phone call, my #1 priority is getting off that call as soon as possible.
“I check in with my best friend every morning. Have done it for years.”
My wife is now 83 and has outlived all of her/our friends from the East and Midwest.
She has 2 younger siblings and they talk/call every weekend. The younger bro, his 2 adult daughters and 2 grandkids will visit in mid July. He still travels.
The rest of us don’t do big travel anymore and rely on talking on the phones, texting, or emailing to stay in touch.
My wife has 10 close and local friends, and they call on a regular basis. She jokes about her adoption of an local older sister, who also grew up in the midwest. They talk and text every day. 8 of those friends are widows.
@84, I have basically outlived all of my local friends except for 3 men. We play bridge once a month and do some texting.
I have one long time friend from high school, college and post college. We talk for about an hour once a quarter.
All of my former Navy buds and 3 letter friends are no longer around.
My sibling and younger relatives prefer texting, so we text.
One adult son and his wife have adult children in Ny/j
They don’t even want to come into the office to work.
I’m 53, and I don’t want to go to the office to work. I’m in IT, specifically networking engineering/architecture/design. I can work from anywhere that has an internet connection (my cell and tethering). Why waste 2 hours and drive 60+ miles round trip when I can do it from my bedroom?
That's a wonderful program but that's the sad reality of elderly singles who are not socially active and may not have any family members.
At my age, I could fall down the stairs to the basement and lay there until I die and the only calls on my phone would be from softball friends calling and asking where I am and I'm not able to answer the phone.
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