During these trying times, it is easy to drown in solitude. Even among young and healthy individuals who have stronger communication networks, socializing is proving to be difficult. This prolonged state of physical isolation has added to the stress and mental exhaustion of teens and young adults, and it’s unimaginable to think of its effects on older people.
The elderly in nursing homes unfortunately don’t have the same access to online modes of communication, which can often limit their connection to the outside world and a human touch.
According to a University of San Francisco study, more than 40% of seniors experience loneliness, so it is not that it has never been an issue among this group until now. However, the harsh truth is that it will most likely worsen and potentially exacerbate when isolated. The question, then, is how the elderly can feel supported at a time when person-to-person contact is restricted.
There are organizations and campaigns that have thought of a solution to this issue: letter writing.
Organizations like the Love for Our Elders and campaigns like Letters Against Isolation have made it their mission to spread positivity and love to those that feel forgotten in nursing homes across our nation.
They operate by gathering volunteers from across the nation and then assigning them nursing homes and centers where handwritten letters can be sent. Some messages written in these letters include “keep smiling,” “shine on,” and “you are loved.”
The efforts they have made are critical to the mental state of these patients, offering them support through the “lost art of letter writing.” Additional information about these organizations can be found at https://loveforourelders.org/letters for Love for Our Elders and https://www.lettersagainstisolation.com/ for Letters Against Isolation.
Although it seems like writing letters is an archaic method of communication in our modern society, the unique beauty of reading handwritten letters has been preserved and better-appreciated during the lockdown. Positive notes bring out a more compassionate and intimate side of humanity, qualities lacking amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
And, who knows, this might help save the USPS, too!
Written by Rio Gutierrez of John F. Kennedy High School
Photo by May Pham of Walter Johnson High School