This page was created by a student of Portland state university and a former volunteer at the lines for life organization.
Offering an Empathetic Ear:
Lines for Life's Senior loneliness line
Photo credit to Lines for Life
My name is Connor Miers and I am a student at Portland State University studying to be a psychological therapist. In order to both pursue my goals as well as help my community, I applied to be a volunteer at the crisis line organization Lines for Life. I was accepted and trained to take calls on the Senior Loneliness Line.
While Lines for Life as an organization has existed since 1993, the Senior Loneliness Line only went live on May of 2018 and has since received over 1,800 calls (data provided by Lines for Life). At first I was hesitant to work the Senior Line because my career goal as a therapist was to work with adolescents. However, I joined the Senior Line because I realized that working with people of various ages would be good for my training and I knew of the isolation that many seniors suffer through and that they needed help.
While Lines for Life as an organization has existed since 1993, the Senior Loneliness Line only went live on May of 2018 and has since received over 1,800 calls (data provided by Lines for Life). At first I was hesitant to work the Senior Line because my career goal as a therapist was to work with adolescents. However, I joined the Senior Line because I realized that working with people of various ages would be good for my training and I knew of the isolation that many seniors suffer through and that they needed help.
24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the Senior Loneliness Line provides people that are empathetic and happy to listen to the senior callers every concern. Even if the callers may think their problems are insignificant, Lines for Life's call workers will listen and help in any way they can with enthusiasm to spare. If the caller just wants someone to talk to; to have a nice, friendly conversation, Lines for Life's call workers are more than happy to oblige.
Photo credit to Dorrie Rush of ophthalmicedge.org |
Loneliness among the Senior community is a serious issue and is unfortunately rather common. As people advance in age, it's easy for them to become isolated as friends pass away and family become more distant. Holidays and other times that we often get together and celebrate with loved ones can be particularly hard on lonely seniors.
Photo Credit to Associated Press; Nick Viviani |
Photo credit to linesforlife.org
Lines for Life doesn't just support their callers, they also support their staff and volunteers. The training and work environments are both very open and welcoming. Volunteers are encouraged to ask questions and to talk to talk to their supervisors if they need any help. As a volunteer, I've lost count how many times I went to a superior for advice and every single time they showed me patience and understanding; I've never seen a better work environment.
Photo Credit to dlmedia.com
The call workers for Lines for Life are able to refer their clients to organizations that can help them with any problems they may be having. From homeless shelters to clinics with sliding scale fees to advocacy groups, Lines for Life boasts a database with thousands of organizations. Before I worked the Senior Loneliness Line, my job was to make sure our resource database was kept up to date, in case an organization changes locations, couldn't take any more clients, or closed altogether. I did this by checking the organization's websites and calling the organizations directly.
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Photo credit to argifinancialgroup.com
As I worked on the Senior Loneliness Line, it wouldn't be unusual for me to receive one call or even no calls during my entire 4 hour shift. As a result, I had a lot of free time on my hands and I felt bad not working as everyone around me was hard at work. So I would as the supervisors if they had any odd jobs that they would like some help with. The most common job I was given was filing paperwork; a bit tedious but I was happy that I was able to contribute instead of just surfing the internet while waiting for a call.
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Photo credit to flutterbye.com.au
I learned much during my time at Lines for Life. When people reach out for help, you can't just be a hard rock for them to hold on to. You also have to communicate a certain amount of softness, of empathy; to show that you truly understand what they are going through on an emotional level. As for the seniors in my life, I'm going to strive to stay connected to them and not let them slip into isolation. I would encourage anyone reading this to do the same.