Pen Pal Program Created to Connect Seniors With Community Members During Pandemic

Home Instead Senior Care in Hampton Roads, Va., started a program to ease the loneliness of residents in senior care communities by setting them up with pen pals, reports WAVY-TV . The program features letters that are written and sent digitally to prevent contagion — a critical consideration during the COVID-19 pandemic. Art and video correspondence are accepted as well. Home Instead franchise owner Hollie Bradley said since its launch a few months ago, the program has facilitated more than 200 pen pal connections. Letters are submitted through Home Instead's website and then vetted, after which program coordinators connect pen pals to local seniors with interests in common. "I think it shows how we all need this to feel good," Bradley noted. "I think we've all been dealing with so much hardship with the toughness of the pandemic with everything that's happening right now, so it's nice to have something to make us feel good inside but also to know we're making a difference in other's lives."