Are you planning your vacation? You’ve taken tickets for the whole family, booked accommodation, bought the guidebook, provided the mosquito net, sunscreen, sunglasses and children’s swimwear… But have you also thought about isolated elderly people? In France, 2 million people over 60 have no contact with their family or friends, according to the latest barometer of the Little Brothers of the Poor. So as the holidays approach, the association calls for “citizen mobilization” to break the isolation of seniors close to home thanks to the kit “Hunter of loneliness”. Discovery.
It’s summer, the kids are going on vacation or summer camp with their parents, the neighbors have closed their shutters before leaving, the neighborhood shops are announcing their annual closure, the streets are empty… But did you know that the holidays are fatal? can be for those who don’t leave? Among these people, isolated seniors. You know, that little lady you meet alone in the elevator, you say “hello”, “goodbye” and “thank you” as she holds the door to let you through. She asks you if “the kids are fine,” but you never asked her if she had kids of her own…
A practical kit to meet seniors
In recent years, the number of isolated elderly people has more than doubled (+122%), from 900,000 in 2017 to 2 million in 2021. Not to mention the 530,000 elderly in a situation of social death… In other words, men and women who never or almost never meet other people “in different circles of conviviality”, such as the family circle, friends, neighborhood or associative networks. So to prevent their isolation from getting worse during the summer period, the Little Brothers of the Poor have imagined a practical set to get the elderly out of their loneliness. How ? Thanks to a few tricks, you meet an elderly person who is isolated from your building, your neighborhood or your entourage. This includes:
- A presentation to know how to use the kit;
- A postcard, slip with your contact details under the doors or in the mailboxes of isolated elderly people near you to let them know you’re thinking of them;
- A poster to stick in your building or in convenience stores near you to invite isolated elderly people to contact you;
- Nine talking cards to cut out to engage in discussion with the elderly around you;
- Recommendations during a sharp rise in temperature or a heat wave, so you can help them protect themselves from the heat and stay well hydrated.
“Helping: a project that has been close to my heart for a long time without really knowing how to do it. Then I was challenged by the “loneliness fighter” campaign. So I got interested in the Little Brothers of the Poor, ordered my kit…and here I am!
Emilie, 40, user of the “loneliness fighter” kit
Very often these are simple actions, small everyday gestures that can light up a face, change a day, bring a presence… You can do these small gestures anywhere, on the way to work, on the way home. to school, while getting bread, at the pool or at the beach, while shopping or on the way home, to your neighborhood, to your neighborhood or to your building. Sometimes all you have to do is ask if the person is okay and if they need help running errands or a little help crossing the street. With the “Hunter of solitude” kit you have the power to change the daily life of a person on your scale, independent of an association, without time or money constraints, at your own pace and all year round.
Know more about isolation of the elderly ? To discover how to break the isolation of seniors in your area? secure the site of the Little Brothers of the Poor. And why not, lighten up an elderly person’s summer by becoming a hunter of loneliness !