The pandemic has been particularly harsh on the elderly, as many them have been isolated from their families to protect them from the ravages of covid19, because of their greater susceptibility to the virus.
At homes for the elderly, even though they have the company of other residents, they are not allowed to interact with family members or anyone outside the homes, or even go out.
Bridges to the Heart, a non-governmental organisation, has found a way to lessen the resulting loneliness and bring some joy to the elderly this Christmas with its Adopt a Christmas GrandPal initiative.
Its founder Sasha Bernard, 28, explained that owners and managers of ten elderly homes across the country were asked to provide the first names, ages, and interests of their residents.
The information was posted to Bridges’ Facebook and Instagram pages for any interested person to choose one or more grandpal to write. The writer can then drop off their cards, letters or small gifts at any Shoeaholic branch across the country up to December 6, to be collected and distributed by Bridges members.
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The organisation stepped in an effort to diminish relationship gaps in society particularly between the youth and the elderly as well as the disabled.
“There are a lot of overlooked populations within society that exist in our day-to-day lives. We wanted to bring awareness to these gaps and do what we can to help bridge those gaps. The bridge is compassion and love so it’s a bridge to the heart.”
Bernard, who described herself as an empathetic person, said the idea came to her when she noticed an elderly man in a wheelchair trying to cross the street on Independence Square. He was stuck in the middle of the road because drivers refused to stop to let him cross and were instead swerving around him.
Not too long after she saw an elderly couple standing in the rain at the side of the road with bags of groceries. The man was trying to shelter his companion while clutching several bags but no one stopped to helped them.
“I saw these things and they opened my eyes to the challenges people in our society experience every day. We don’t even think about it because human nature is so selfish that once it doesn’t affect us, it doesn’t concern us. It got me thinking that something needs to be done.”
Back then, she planned events and did volunteer work with her church. Two friends were encouraging her to start her own organisation so she could branch out but she was hesitant. However, when she observed instances of apathy, she decided society could do better. She thought she could to help make it better and improve the quality of life for those overlooked people.
Bernard and her team started with the generational gap but the need was so great that it has remained their focus.
Since 2014, their main project has been the Adopt a Grandparent initiative in which they visit senior citizens in
