Senior Matters - Care Through Conversation

Tennessee's First lady is promoting the Care Through Conversation program where volunteers call seniors over the phone.

Fill their day with activities and plans ---even when much of the country is still shut down because of the coronavirus.

Even those who treasure their parents and grandparents may not understand the loneliness they sometimes endure.

The state of tennessee is trying to do something about that.

Here's news 12's bill mitchell with tonight's senior matters.

If you are not familiar with a program called "care through conversation"..you're not the only one.

With the help of the tennessee commission on ageing and disability, first lady maria lee became aware of the plight of so many seniors in this stressful time.

Some don't get much attention from family and friends.

"i think whevever this program came up, the first lady who had already been working a lot on volunteerism , even before vovid 19, she was really interested in this and she actually took the time to make some of these calls to older adults across tennessee and just to have a conversation with them and see their needs and made sure they were ok."

It may seem like a small thing...but a telephone call from a caring individual...even one you don't know ...can brighten up a day for a senior.

"we have it set up to call at least once a week, but some older adults prefer more calls, so we leave that open to the volunteer and the older adult relationship as to how many calls per week they would like."

If you'd like to become a phone volunteer in the "care through conversation" program ...jot down this number...or check our website...wdef.com.

You can also get information from the tennessee state webpage.

"after a volunteer submits that interest form, it goes to our director of volunteer services who does a quick background screening format and they sign a confidentiality form and get some training and materials and then we start matching them with older adults."

And that can be the first step in remembering seniors who may feel they are left behind during the coronavirus pandemic.

For senior matters, bill mitchell, news 12 now.

If you have an idea for a senior matters feature, send us an email to news at wdef dot com.