The Eisner Journal

A Movement Built On Phone Calls

May 22, 2020

May is Older Americans Month, and The Eisner Foundation is celebrating with stories from our grantees working with and supporting this population. Read about maintaining intergenerational connections remotely here, how older adults are giving back here, and how trusted community organizations are serving older adults here.

As the scale of the Covid-19 pandemic became clear and people began staying home, organizations like L.A. Works and the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) knew that there would be another major health challenge – social isolation. But by leveraging already-existing volunteer networks and organizational infrastructure, they quickly rose to the challenge.

“It’s devastating the degree to which this crisis has magnified the problem of loneliness and isolation, but it’s magnified an existing problem,” said Dr. Scott Kaiser, Chief Innovation Officer at MPTF. “It was here last year, and it will certainly stay.” But he knows that the increased attention on this problem can lead to long-term solutions. “We want to do the best we possibly can to show people that this is an important problem with effective interventions.”

Indeed, one widely-cited study compares the health impact of loneliness to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. It’s associated with higher rates of depression and cognitive decline. And the solution can start with a phone call.

For several years, MPTF has operated its Daily Call Sheet program that matches trained volunteers to older adults who have worked in the entertainment industry. Shortly before the pandemic began, they had begun working on developing a Call Hub software platform so that it could scale and expand to other organizations for similar efforts.

L.A. Works, a volunteer organizing and matching nonprofit, was an early Call Hub partner. They began their TeleSocial program during the 2019 holiday season, and quickly scaled it back up in March when they saw the impending need. “We based our program on MPTF’s years of experience and they’ve been a wonderful partner,” said Debbie Brutchey, Executive Director of L.A. Works.

As these programs expand, the benefits are clear. “People are stressed and worried right now and it’s nice to just have someone to connect with, to commiserate with.” said Brutchey.

Volunteers of all ages are making calls for both programs. “When we launched at the start of this situation, we actually had the seniors calling each other,” said Brutchey. “We have an active corps of volunteers who are 55 and older, and we set it up so they could be both a caller and recipient.” These volunteers are part of their long-established Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP), and as at other organizations, they find that these older volunteers are often the most dedicated and reliable. “They’re such an important piece of the volunteer infrastructure for so many organizations.”

At MPTF, Kaiser’s own mother has joined in the effort. “My mom is now a Daily Call Sheet volunteer,” he said. “She calls a woman that’s older than her, and she can tell she’s quite lonely and appreciates the calls. They bonded right away.”

At L.A. Works, not all call recipients are older. “We have one 64-year-old TeleSocial volunteer who looks forward to her calls because her recipient is 26,” said Raymond McAnally, RSVP Outreach Coordinator at L.A. Works. “She said it was amazing to find out how much they had in common.” Since their program is open to adults of all ages, call recipients range from age 19 to 92.

These new connections are vital for both sides as people continue to stay home. “Volunteers with strong matches are incredibly happy,” said McAnally. “They feel like a real friendship is forming. It feels like family.”

Now, both programs are looking to grow. L.A. Works has a waiting list of volunteers willing to make calls. “We knew from our December pilot that it’s hard to get call recipients who will admit that they’re lonely and need help,” said Raymond. They’ve been doing active outreach to organizations and individuals, and welcome additional partners that would benefit from having additional volunteers reaching out to their constituents.

MPTF is also looking for partners to help scale its new Call Hub as they extend the reach, and evaluate the impact, of this critical service in response to a loneliness epidemic that has been magnified by the viral pandemic.  They’re seeking community organizations, healthcare providers, and others well positioned to address the urgent needs of older adults, through an intergenerational approach, as early adopters.

“This is an opportunity for organizations that have volunteers, an audience they are hoping to reach, or both, to deliver an empowering experience that creates the type of meaningful connections that are now more critical to our overall health and well-being than ever” said Kaiser. “It’s a respectful, shared approach that helps uplift us all.”

Interested in partnering with L.A. Works or MPTF? Email us to learn more.