SWAMPSCOTT — A new program at the Swampscott Senior Center is helping town residents connect with seniors who have been dealing with isolation during the pandemic.
The Keep in Touch program will connect volunteers with a senior in the town who they will reach out to twice a month, giving them a phone call, dropping off treats or running errands for them.
“There are a lot of people that feel isolated, and they have been isolated this past year,” said Diane Reynolds, who is running the program at the Senior Center.
Reynolds said she has been very happy with the response from the community so far, with many residents reaching out to volunteer. She is hoping to have the program rolled out at the end of this month.
Senior participants don’t have to be Senior Center residents, either. Reynolds said she is working with other organizations in town to find as many people as possible to sign up, including reaching out to senior living facility Bertram House, local home-care services and churches.
Swampscott resident Deb Newman, who owns Baker’s Daughter Diner, came up with the idea for the program after seeing the “Adopt a Grandparent Day” program that the Senior Center held in January.
“I wanted to have a program where people could adopt a grandparent for more than one day out of the year,” Newman said.
Newman drafted a flyer for her idea and reached out to the Senior Center to see if they had any residents that would be interested. She said they liked the idea so much that they offered to take over organizing it.
Newman said she volunteered with the Senior Center earlier in the pandemic, food shopping for a resident who was afraid to venture out on her own, and the two became very close.
“You think you’re the one doing someone a favor, and it turns out you get something back in a big way,” Newman said. “I’ve stopped shopping for her because one of her daughters is able to do it, but I continue to call her just to say hi. I’m hoping that that’s what happens with people who do Keep in Touch.”
Anyone who wants to participate in the program, either as a volunteer or a senior receiving the service, should reach out to Diane Reynolds at [email protected] or by calling the Senior Center at 781-596-8866.
