A regional public health campaign is encouraging individuals to pick up the phone and connect with an older adult in their life.
Half a dozen local health departments, including Steuben, Wayne and Ontario counties, have partnered to launch the “One Call. One Connection. Pass It On.” campaign. The goal of this initiative is to help combat social isolation and loneliness in senior residents.
“Just pick up the phone and say ‘Hi’,” said Jennifer Green, director of preventive services for Ontario County. “That opportunity for connection makes people feel valued and really gives them a sense of belonging.”
Experts said isolation and loneliness in older adults are linked to worse physical and mental health outcomes, including chronic disease, depression, and cognitive decline. Green said this is particularly true for those living in rural areas.
“If you are aging in place at home, and you don't have people visiting often, it really is a sense of isolation,” Green said. “Just that opportunity for interaction, that feeling that somebody cares, and the community connection does bolster your mental health.”
Phyllis Jackson, director of the senior adult community engagement project for Common Ground Health, said older adults just want to feel.
“The biggest part is we feel useless, like we don’t have much value,” Jackson said. “When you feel like that, you will isolate.”
Jackson alluded that the “pass it on” component of the campaign will be the most beneficial for this demographic. Seniors will be encouraged to pay the gesture forward by making a call to someone else.
“We're not able to do what we used to do. We're not able to engage with people we used to engage with, or not able to go where we used to go,” Jackson said. “You’re giving them a sense of worth, of value.”
The campaign aligns with the region’s Community Health Improvement Plan, which encourages small everyday acts to help support mental and physical wellbeing.
