“a person can be thought of as a composition of all their relationships,” says sneddon, who was a chaplain with the anglican church of canada before joining helpage. “these relationships are a mirror of who you are and your relationship to the world and are important ways through which we define ourselves.”
except that as people age and experience physical and cognitive impairments, their exposure to the world shrinks, as does their exposure to other people and they “bear the fruit of isolation,” he says. add in a global pandemic that locks people in their homes, takes away their means of participating in the community and belonging, and disconnects them from family and friends, and the result is critical health effects. all of which is worse for those with little money.
“generally, if you have income, you have options,” he says. “those who don’t have as many options are the most susceptible to loneliness, which we know, can be fatal.”
in a bid to circumvent these effects, at the start of the pandemic, helpage canada launched a national fundraising campaign to support local community partners in their humanitarian relief to seniors, like delivering food and hygiene products and setting up phone trees that seniors have a social connection. the organization raised more than $500,000 — funds that also allowed the organization to provide ipads to seniors, along with a digital literacy program to allow them to participate in the community, access services and stay in touch with friends and family.