A Collective Approach to Countering the Social Isolation of Seniors

The Food Insecurity Project, which aims to prevent malnutrition among seniors, has five objectives: inform, identify, support, strengthen connections between organizations and prevent food insecurity and undernutrition. This project has become an integral part of our support and is carried out in collaboration with local institutions and organizations. Launched in 2020, this initiative has  been developed with the help of several important partners, including the City of Montreal, la Direction régionale de santé publique (DRSP) and the Sherbrooke University research centre.

Here are the main actions underway:

• Creation of an advisory committee made up of experts in the field;
• Collecting data about our Great Friends through a survey;
• Development of an information kit, for Little Brothers and its partners;
• Training and conference on the subject in collaboration with the University of Sherbrooke.

In April 2022, we unveiled 20 new tip sheets to better equip volunteers and caregivers working with vulnerable seniors. These sheets address challenges and problems they may encounter when providing support.

In particular, they help to better :

• Identify situations of social isolation and abuse.
• Accompany the gains, losses and transitions associated with aging;
• Understand the difference between mental health disorders and cognitive deficits;

This project was made possible thanks to the valuable collaboration of the Réseau de l’action bénévole du Québec (RABQ), which represents 36 provincial organizations, 7,000 local organizations and a total of 1.6 million volunteers in Quebec.

On March 31, 2022, Albatros and Little Brothers of the Lévis region signed a new collaboration agreement that aims to ensure better continuity in the accompaniment of seniors, until the end of life. The two organizations are thus banking on the complementarity of their respective missions in order to support the elderly residents of Lévis. The agreement meets the following objectives for the entire Lévis territory:

• To mitigate the impact of the labour shortage through the collaboration of mutual volunteer resources;
• Increase the number of accompaniments for isolated seniors and people in palliative care;
• Avoid transitions and ensure a better qualitative response to the accompaniment needs of people at the end of life.

In partnership with the Emergence Foundation, Little Brothers has endorsed the Charter of fair treatment to foster a homophobia and transphobia-free environment for seniors.

For more than 12 years, Aging Gayfully has defended the rights of LGBTQ+ seniors, offering tools and training sessions to those who support them.

Little Brothers is committed to providing safe and welcoming environments and respectful companionship to all of our Great Friends. These actions allow us to educate those around them, whether they are volunteers or staff members.