POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI)– The Area Agency on Aging has had an influx of people who are picking up the phone to support local seniors through their month-long ‘Friendly Calling Challenge’.
The Friendly Calling Challenge asks people to make three to five phone calls to friends, family, or neighbors over 60 in an effort to curb isolation in older adults during Idaho’s Loneliness Awareness Month in February.
“We have so many seniors and individuals out there who become isolated and alone, and they don’t feel like they have a… friendly person to chat with,” said Cara Christensen, information assistance specialist at the Area Agency on Aging. “It’s so important to reach out to your loved ones or a stranger and let them know that they matter and that they’re cared for.”
Christensen said that confirmed participants in the challenge include the mayors of Pocatello, Chubbuck, and Blackfoot, as well as small businesses and people in the community.
Although they have a rough estimate of how many people are making calls, the Area Agency on Aging will not know how many people completed the challenge until the end of the month.
“We’re at 55 and it’s growing, so it’s great,” said Christensen. “We can’t wait to see what happens on the 28th February and we get the final count, but so far we’ve seen it go pretty wide–it’s all over the city and all over the state…”
People who complete the Friendly Calling Challenge will be entered into a raffle where they have a chance to win a variety of prizes donated by local businesses and city officials.
For more information on the Friendly Calling Challenge, you can find the Area Agency on Aging on Facebook.
