This festive season can be lonesome for seniors, so a campaign to make Christmas for the elderly merrier has been launched. The Minister for Aged Care, Ken Wyatt spearheads this national campaign. Furthermore, he shared that his recent visit to an aged care home revealed that nobody visited it the entire year.
“So more than ever this Christmas, I am asking all Australians to reach out to people in residential aged care and relatives, friends, and community members everywhere in need of company.”
According to him, the aged care staff have done their best efforts. However, there still have been zero visits to the facility. Moreover, he said that some aged care homes have 40% of their residents who do not get visits for a year. So, he felt more distressed to find out that a 100% zero visit exists.
He pleads for every Australian to reach out to aged care homes and offer their companionship. Likewise, this act of kindness cannot just make the Christmas for seniors merrier, but also more meaningful.
How To Make The Christmas for The Elderly Merrier
Minister Wyatt’s anti-loneliness campaign for the elderly began in conjunction with the Australian Red Cross’ campaign. It is dubbed as the Australian Red Cross’ Season of Belonging campaign.
They even shared some statistics about the prevalence of loneliness in Australia. It claims that 5.6 million people in Australia feel lonely almost all of their lives. Men who are 55 above feel more lonely after divorce or separation. Young men in the 18 to 34 age bracket also tend to feel lonely.
Hence, they have outlined these 5 solutions to combat loneliness and make Christmas for the elderly merrier.
- Meet your neighbours
- Be a volunteer for aged care homes
- Greet the newest addition(s) to the neighbourhood
- Check on somebody who seems to be in trouble
- Spread kindness in social media
How Volunteering Can Help Make Christmas for The Elderly Merrier
The Australian Red Cross highlights the support of the Turnbull government in these joint campaigns. In fact, the government has allotted a budget of $17.2 million for the Community Visitors Scheme this year.
In this Scheme, volunteers are urged to offer friendship and company to the lonely seniors. This way, fighting community isolation can be successful.
Everyone needs to understand that ageing does not change one’s need for love, attention, and company. So, if people can spare a few hours of their time to offer these priceless gifts this Christmas, all the better. This simple gesture can go a very long way in making the seniors feel valued. Besides, it is the true spirit of the season.
Indeed, volunteering is an effective way to make Christmas for the elderly merrier and less lonely.
Christmas image created by Asier_relampagoestudio – Freepik.com
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