This text is part of the special section Philanthropy
As the isolation of seniors has increased during the pandemic, the Les Petits Frères foundation wishes to increase its number of volunteers and is appealing for donations. The non-profit organization fights against the loneliness experienced by more and more seniors.
“We accompany people aged 75 and over who have no one in the world,” explains the general manager of the foundation, Caroline Sauriol. In 2030, Quebecers aged 65 and over will account for 25% of the province’s population. And among them, 30% are at risk of suffering from isolation, according to a report published by the Institut de la statistique du Québec in 2020.
Across Canada, the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging found a sharp rise in women’s feelings of loneliness between the study’s first results (2011-2015) and the COVID-19 period. Thus, women aged 65 to 74 were 67% more likely to have a feeling of loneliness. Among those aged 75 to 84, there is a 37% increase. Among men, this increase is 45% for those aged 65 to 74 and 33% for those aged 75 to 84.
The health crisis has not only exacerbated isolation among seniors, but has also led to a loss of capacity. “The confinement has made people lose a lot of physiological capacities: the ability to take a long walk, to drag out shopping, the center of balance, etc. It’s a physiological deconditioning, “says Mme Sauriol.
She also recounts having observed an internalization of fear in several seniors. “There are people who say, ‘Me, before the pandemic, I didn’t feel old. But there, I feel old because I was made to feel that I was and that I was fragile, vulnerable, in danger if I went out. »
The health crisis has also had cognitive consequences, notes Ms.me Sauriol. “Someone who was used to moving around, meeting people, socializing, and who suddenly finds himself withdrawn into himself in his small apartment… So we see a lot of loss of capacities, especially in those who are very isolated and vulnerable. »
Support seniors
The question of resocialization has been at the heart of the actions of the Little Brothers since the relaxation of health measures. “All that is reconditioning, putting back into action is really very important”, underlines Mme Sauriol.
This is why the foundation wishes to recruit more volunteers to support the Grands Amis. “This is how we designate the beneficiaries of the foundation, notes Caroline Sauriol. These people are alone in the world. They are no longer the husband, nor the mother, nor the father, nor the sister, nor the brother of anyone and no longer have a title to which they attach themselves. »
“The money that people give us is invested in support,” explains Ms.me Sauriol. Currently, the organization has nearly 3,000 volunteers. “For us, it’s the sinews of war. We need to attract more volunteers, because the needs are immense,” she says. The people recruited receive training and are supervised. “But because we are dealing with a vulnerable population, we have to react as soon as the person stops volunteering,” she specifies.
The Little Brothers estimate that no less than 55,000 Quebec seniors are currently in a situation of severe isolation. “They have no one around and receive no phone calls for a month. They are really withdrawn into themselves, ”says the general manager.
In order to help them, the foundation organizes activities and offers them gifts at Christmas and on their birthdays. “These are all kinds of ways to be present in their lives and to show them that they still matter to someone,” argues the organization’s executive director.
Among the services offered are individualized support, but also group activities. “What we do is be in people’s lives for the rest of their lives, no matter what happens,” explains Caroline Sauriol. Thus, Les Petits Frères continue their work with the elderly, even when they are in cognitive decline or at the end of life. “We also have land in the cemeteries where they can be buried. Often, […] we are the only people present at their funeral. »
Change the trajectory
However, the activities offered by the organization are “almost a detail”, says the philanthropist. “The essence of our support is to offer them a lasting presence through what they will experience. People in the fourth age will lose their apartment, their vehicle, their dog. They will lose everything, break their hip, etc. We give them emotional support. »
Les Petits Frères would like to be able to bring 10,000 Quebecers out of isolation by 2030. In order to achieve this objective, the organization wishes to double its number of volunteers, by recruiting massively.
The organization recalls that the social circle often decreases inexorably with age due to the death of loved ones, which leads to a situation of isolation, as mentioned in a study published in 2011 by the National Institute of Public Health of Quebec. A rising trend with the aging population. “There will be more and more seniors and there will not be less and less loneliness,” warns Ms.me Sauriol.
Moreover, a report made public five years ago by the Quebec Ministry of the Family identified 3.4 million people aged 50 and over and 1.6 million people aged 65 and over out of a total of 8, 4 million Quebecers in 2017. “We also have to prepare, raise awareness. Everyone has a role to play in changing the lives of these people. We must change the trajectory towards which we are heading, which will be a great drama of isolation, ”claims the director general of the foundation Les Petits Frères.
No vacation for isolation
In order to be able to break the isolation of seniors this summer, Les Petits Frères will soon launch a campaign to raise funds. “In summer, everyone is eager to go on vacation. But the elders who are alone, they will be even more isolated. Summer in the city can be very difficult for an isolated person who finds himself even more isolated by the heat and the fact that everyone is going on vacation, explains the general manager. We want to make people aware: there are no holidays for isolation. »
During the summer, Les Petits Frères therefore organizes a stay for some of their members in a vacation home in Oka, on the shores of Lac des Deux-Montagnes. “We even have people who come out of a CHSLD to go on vacation, underlines Caroline Sauriol. Imagine the impact it can have in a person’s life, to spend a week in the countryside in good company. It is extremely valuable. »
The Les Petits Frères foundation has just put a digital book online with advice for breaking the isolation of seniors during the summer.
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