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The personal support program is the core of the Little Brothers programs and is a key to providing social and emotional support. Volunteers are assigned on a one-to-one basis with the elderly and offer help in whatever ways they can. In one such friendship, the volunteer helps with grocery shopping and the old friend teaches the volunteer about art.
Telephone visiting is another way to reach out to our old friends. The simple act of a telephone call means a lot to an elderly person who sits alone every day without anyone to talk to. Volunteers also make birthday visits, bringing small gifts and flowers. Other volunteers make and send out birthday cards each month. Little Brothers receives many thank you calls and notes from its old friends because the visits and cards are often the only birthday remembrance they receive.
The holiday season is often the loneliest time of the year for people who have lost family and friends. Little Brothers holiday programs consist of the traditional home visits and group activities. Little Brothers provides a Thanksgiving visit and dinner for its old friends who are not able to cook for themselves. At Christmas Little Brothers provides a volunteer, bearing food, flowers and gifts, to share the joy of the giving season.
Little Brothers also offers a series of parties and outings where old friends socialize with other old friends and volunteers. Past parties and outings have included Valentine’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day parties and trips to the Camden Aquarium and the Devon Horse Show.
Assessment, Referrals, and Advocacy: When a new old friend is found, a personal visit is made to assess the degree of isolation and the need for aging services. The most isolated are incorporated into the Little Brothers core group and those needing services are referred to the appropriate agencies. Just recently an assessment visit provided Little Brothers with the information that an old friend was sleeping on a filthy mattress on the floor and had no bed clothing. Little Brothers intervened, a bed, sheets and blankets were found and delivered.
Weather Emergencies: When weather emergencies occur, Little Brothers contacts every old friend to make sure they are safe. Whether it is a snowstorm, below freezing temperatures or the scorching heat of the summer, we make sure that our old friends know that we are here to help them. In the past, we have distributed fans in July, found heating oil during a blizzard, and let seniors know they have somewhere to turn in an emergency.
Mental Health Outreach: Because isolated elderly are at high risk for depression, Little Brothers conducts a survey to identify those elderly at risk for mental health problems. Little Brothers refers those identified to mental health agencies for diagnosis and treatment.
To become involved or receive more information,
please call 215-765-8118 or send us an email.
