Hospice Of Southern Illinois + Local Schools “Send Love to Seniors”

Feb 12, 2021 9:11 AM

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Does anything warm your heart more than a handmade valentine from a child? There may be a few things, but this idea surely warrants a smile. Hospice of Southern Illinois has coordinated with over 10 local schools to collect handmade Valentine’s Day cards to distribute to long-term care homes and assisted living homes in the Metro East. For 40 years, our goal has been to improve the quality of life. Therefore, we took an opportunity to bridge generations together for positivity. The week leading up to Valentine’s Day, hundreds of handmade cards from area schools will land in the hands of seniors. “Send Love to Seniors” is one small gesture Hospice of Southern Illinois is proud to coordinate.

As a result of COVID-19 safety restrictions, seniors are experiencing a range of both mental and physical challenges. We coordinated this COVID-19-safe project, “Send Love to Seniors,” to support seniors who may feel the effects of reduced social interaction. In a study from the Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging, their study suggests that, “the mental and physical health in older people are negatively affected during the social distancing for COVID-19. The main mental and physical outcomes reported were anxiety, depression, poor sleep quality and physical inactivity during the isolation period.”

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Lastly, we’d like to close with a note of appreciation to all the healthcare professionals working tirelessly to improve mental health for seniors. Thank you for keeping our community seniors as healthy and positive as possible. We are in this together! If you are a caregiver needing support, the call to hospice shouldn’t wait. As a trusted resource for 40 years, ask for us by name. Hospice of Southern Illinois is your community-based, not-for-profit hospice: www.hospice.org • 1-800-233-1708.