Adopt an Elder: A connection between generations
Adopt an Elder is a volunteer program designed to connect seniors with a younger generation, where volunteer work often grows into meaningful friendships.
It all began with an idea to make seniors feel less lonely.
After her retirement in 2020, Penny Pacey founded Adopt an Grandparent/Elder Fredericton, which pairs community volunteers with older adults to create intergenerational friendships.
The volunteers offer practical support, like drives to medical appointments, but the primary goal is simple: helping people to connect.
Later, Pacey realized that the younger people were struggling more with loneliness during pandemic than the elders, “we're used to it and we're independent enough that we can cope with the loneliness somewhat,” but the connections within generations has helped this “younger people just as much as the older. It’s definitely [a] mutual [relationship].”
Pairings are based on shared interests, proximity and personal preferences.
Some volunteers visit their elders every day, others once or twice a week and others help out occasionally.
Emma Dufresne, who joined as a volunteer a year ago with the intention of giving back to her community, found more than just gratitude.
Dufresne found comfort in her newfound relationships that healed her childhood without grandparents.
Seniors are at a peak of being frequently discriminated against by being viewed as “no longer useful” once they hit retirement.
Adopt an Elder switches this narrative around by creating a space for seniors to remain active in their communities.
Dufresne has learned how important it is to “slow down in life” in order to give others the attention and care they need to be capable of perceiving important things that would probably go unseen.
As the program continues to grow, Penny’s biggest challenge is not finding volunteers, but rather reaching more seniors who could benefit from the service.
Many older adults are reluctant to ask for help. “We don’t like to admit that we need help, right? And we don’t like to say, hey, I’m needy, or I’m lonely,” as she points out.
In a society increasingly shaped by technology and busy schedules, Adopt an Elder offers a way to slow down and a reminder that friendship, conversation and community are essential at every stage of life.
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