From the BZ editorial team
Are you lonely and over 75 years old? Then you are welcome to call me now!
But be careful and please don’t misunderstand: This is not a partner ad. As coordinator of the association “Old People’s Friends” I mediate friendships between young volunteers and seniors.
60 friendships between young and old have developed in recent years. A small victory against the loneliness of so many people.
What strikes me is how many old people in our city are lonely and how big the consequences are. Loneliness is underestimated. Because it doesn’t just mean that you’re alone. Many lonely people also become physically ill as a result, develop psychoses or depression.
This is particularly bad now in the cold, dark season. Many older people are not only lonely, they often do not dare to leave the house for fear of slipping or because it is just too dark outside on the street.
If they don’t have any relatives to look after them, there is often no help at all. There is a lack of committed doctors and nurses and social workers who have an eye, recognize loneliness and provide relief.
When someone contacts us, we always try to find suitable couples and create a friendship on equal footing. That works surprisingly well.
The older friends benefit from the company and the variety, the younger ones from the experience and wealth of the other person. I just have to be careful sometimes: recently I found an older doctor. She still had a rather harsh tone. Then I can’t send anyone very young there.
This Sunday we held an advent celebration for our volunteers and for many seniors. An elderly woman sat next to me. Her husband died a year ago. For a few months she has been friends with a young volunteer. The two meet once a week, cook or do something together.
The woman was in tears and said: “Finally I’m not alone anymore and I have something to look forward to.”