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Project Penpal

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Terry Cullen

Feb 18, 2022

United States

Categories:

Senior Citizen, Mental Health, Volunteer, Friendship

Project Penpal is an organization that connects people in the community at large to people living in assisted living facilities and nursing homes. Jessica Burdg, Founder and Director, worked many years ago in a nursing home and saw firsthand that many residents did not have visitors or a connection to the outside community. She founded the Penpal Project to create a platform that connects volunteers in the larger community with older adults through letter writing.


The moniker, "Write a letter. Make a friend," rings true to the mission of Project Penpal. Build lasting connections through letter writing, and the experience is mutually rewarding.


According to the Pew Research Center, older people in the United States and Europe are more likely to live alone than more senior people in other parts of the world (27%, 28% vs. 16%). This condition raises the prospect of loneliness. The United Kingdom's national government publicly identifies loneliness as a health risk and negatively influences individual well-being. So much so that the UK has embarked on a health campaign to raise public awareness of loneliness and create programs to help combat it.


Human beings are social beings by nature, and loneliness is a recognized health risk, a form of chronic stress. Loneliness can affect hormonal, immunological, cardiovascular, and inflammatory responses. This state, in turn, can lead to depression, anxiety, cognitive decline, a higher risk of dementia, a weaker immune system, and stroke, among other illnesses. Chronically lonely people tend to get sick easier and stay sick longer. Covid has exacerbated the problem, not only with older adults but with all age groups.


Being lonely is a painful place. Isolated, abandoned, empty, rejected, unrecognized, and unloved are words people use to describe loneliness. The feelings can leave us with an overall sadness, sense of fear, anxiety. A simple conversation, even a recognition of us by another, even a light physical touch can dispel loneliness. Knowing that we all have the power to help another human being, what can we do?


The simple act of letter writing may help to change that. Letter writing provides a safe space to express one's thoughts and feelings authentically without fear of judgment and rejection. A handwritten letter offers a basis for two people who may never meet each other to build shared bonds of relationship. The experience and the connection can be pretty different than a relationship built on face-to-face contact. Letters provide a lasting physical reminder of that connection. It takes more time to explore the link, but it can be deep and very personal. Also, many older people in an adult care facility are much more comfortable writing a letter than an email. It's more personal. Anticipating the following letter can create hope and optimism about the days ahead.


I became penpals with a girl in Denmark when I was a child. We built a friendship through our letters, and I learned much about Danish culture. Eva and I eventually went our separate ways as adults, but she left indelible markers in my young mind. She helped spur my interest in travel and learning about other cultures, which shaped my world views to this day.


Sadly, there can be much social isolation in a community, such as senior citizens or newly arrived immigrants. The simple act of letter writing can improve the overall mental and physical health and well-being of an entire community with positive results for everyone who participates. Becoming a pen pal is appealing because it benefits both people writing letters.


Here are some actions to consider for your community. First, contact the social service agencies and find out who in your community is isolated and where your lettering writing will make a difference. Work with your club, neighborhood association, faith-based organization, and local schools to amplify your effort. Connect with a penpal platform, such as Penpal Project. Ask if they can connect you with people closer to your home. Get children involved. Perhaps do it as a family. Give your children an opportunity to develop empathy for people different than them and gain wisdom from those people. Share your letters and encourage more to get involved.


Are you looking for a simple way to change the world? Reach out your hand in friendship and write a letter.

To get a penpal or support The PenPal Project, please visit the link below.
Photo by Samuel Austin on Unsplash

Source:

Source:

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Catalog #:

0122.100.01.021822

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