When it comes to living a long and healthy life, human interaction is key. Studies show that suffering from loneliness deeply affects physical and mental health, decreasing lifespans and drastically shooting up the risk for depression. Elderly folks living in senior citizen homes are especially prone to the effects of continual isolation from their families and friends, with many of them extra disconnected due to having no surviving relatives. Seeing this devastating trend, 21-year-old Baruj Avram knew he needed to make a change to help bring personal connection back to this underserved community.
Inspiration struck Avram when the Panamanian-born entrepreneur was stuck in Miami, away from his family, during the height of the covid-19 pandemic. Phoning home constantly considerably helped his feelings of loneliness, and got him thinking: how must isolated senior citizens feel, with no one to lean on?
Thus, Calls4Care was born, with the aim of connecting the elderly with volunteers willing and ready to provide that vital human contact. During the platform’s development, Avram found the startling figure that 35 percent of senior citizens never have a single visitor in their nursing homes from the day they are checked in until the moment they pass away. He then learned about “elder orphans,” a segment of the elderly population who have no living relatives and thus, no chance at visitation.
“I’m from Panama and Panama was completely locked down,” said Avram. “I was forced to
quarantine by myself for eight months and after a few months went by, I spent my birthday
alone and I just felt so lonely. I wanted to connect with people who were going through the
same thing. Then I discovered elder orphans and knew I had to help.”
Teaming with Steven Manocherian, Natalie Manocherian and Daniel Manocherian, Avram managed to fully launch the non-profit platform within six months of his life-changing epiphany.
To begin, Call4Care takes all applicants through a simple interview process to best pair up volunteers with their pool of elders. By asking questions about hobbies, interests, and life experiences, Calls4Care ensures that whatever match is made will have common ground and plenty to talk about via phone calls. Through its thoughtful and heart-filled methods, the non-profit has already managed to create more than 2000 successful relationships around the United States.
“Calls4Care changed my life,” said one of the elder orphans touched by the platform. “I felt so disconnected in my nursing home, I was really afraid when quarantine began. I didn’t know when I would have the opportunity for anyone to visit again. Now I receive regular calls from a nice young man and he appreciates my stories.”
By fostering meaningful relationships, Calls4Care creates joy and extends the livelihood of the underserved elderly population. With only a few short steps to get started, anyone can use the non-profit platform to make a difference in the senior citizen community, so make sure to visit the Calls4Care website to find out how you can begin helping today.