WaHi Seniors Get Help From Volunteers Across U.S. In New Program

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — Washington Heights seniors who may be isolated during the coronavirus will soon be able to chat with and get help from volunteers across the country thanks to a new "Senior Link" program.

The program — set up through a grant from the Columbia University School of Social Work — is recruiting volunteers from anywhere in the United States to chat on the phone, send care packages to and help older adults in Northern Manhattan navigate resources they may need during the COVID-19 crisis.

It is the brainchild of two Columbia social work graduate students and a Columbia alumna who say they realized older adults who were already struggling before the pandemic need help now more than ever.

"Even before the pandemic, around 25 percent of older adults could be characterized as socially isolated, and this is exacerbated by the current circumstances which call for social distancing," co-founder Daniella Spencer Laitt told Patch.

"Social isolation is a health issue in and of itself, associated with increased risk of mortality, functional decline, dementia and stroke as well as psychiatric conditions such as depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation," she added, referring to information from the National Academies of Sciences.

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The program, called WH Senior Link, partners volunteers with seniors in the Washington Heights area and will also link seniors with each other to write letters or talk on the phone.

After going through the Senior Link training program, the volunteers will reach out for a "weekly friendly phone call" to their senior partner and figure out what they may need.

They will then help direct the seniors to resources in a directory set up by Senior Link, provide emotional support and use $55 provided by the program to put together a care package.

Eventually, Laitt and her co-founders Jennifer Strauss and Amanda Weiss, hope to expand the program to other parts of New York City.

For now, though, WH Senior Link will focus on training the volunteers they do have and seeking out more people to help, Laitt said.

"Our program is brand new — only a couple of weeks old," she told Patch. "We are looking for more people to get involved!"

To find out more about WH Senior Link check out their website or the flyer below.

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