Not sure how to get started? These resources have lots of suggestions:
- AARP Local. Free search tool that helps people find local events, news, volunteer opportunities, and resources.
- Create Connections Using Technology. engAGED National Resource Center and n4a. Ways older adults can use technology to create and maintain social connections.
- Create Connections Without Technology. engAGED National Resource Center and n4a. Tech-free resources and activities to help older adults stay engaged.
- Feeling Good & Staying Connected Activity Guide. California Department of Aging. Ideas to help people of any age stay engaged.
- Social Isolation and Loneliness Toolkit. National Institute on Aging. Health information materials for older adults, caregivers, and health care providers.
- Staying Connected at Home During COVID-19. Eldercare Locator and engAGED National Resource Center. Suggestions for how to prevent social isolation and loneliness while staying safe. Available in English and Spanish.
- Taking Care of Your Behavioral Health: Tips for Social Distancing, Quarantine, and Isolation. SAMHSA. Fact sheet on feelings and thoughts people may have, and suggested ways to cope.
- Guidelines for delivering telewellness programs to older adults with disabilities. TechSAge. Tips for designing wellness classes delivered via video conferencing, or “telewellness” classes, for older adults with disabilities.
Connect While Helping Others
- Best Practices for Virtual Volunteers. AARP Foundation. Guide offering tips and tricks for giving back at a distance.
- Community Connections. AARP. Helps you to connect with people in your community and find support when you need it.
- Create the Good. AARP. Connects you with volunteer opportunities to share your life experiences, skills and passions in your community.
- VolunteerMatch. Explore hundreds of virtual opportunities to share your talents, skills, and knowledge – from home.
Activities You Might Like
Try out these activities that you can do alone, together with your family and friends, or as a way to meet new people.
Get creative
- Combat Social Isolation. Erie County, NY Senior Services. Ideas for activities to stimulate your mind and combat boredom.
- Stuck at Home (Together). AARP and Foundation of Art & Healing. Encourage creative expression and enable social connection with these tools and resources.
Share your story
- PBS American Portrait. Give a glimpse into your life and get a peek into others’ perspectives as part of this collective, connective project.
- StoryCorps Connect. Record a StoryCorps interview with a loved one remotely using video conference technology.
Just Want to Chat?
- AARP Friendly Voice. Sometimes, hearing a friendly voice on the other end of the line can help in challenging times. Trained AARP volunteers will call to say hello.
- Connect2Affect's Chatbot. Provides friendly conversation to build social connections. Conversations are secure, private, and accessible 24/7.
- SAGEConnect. Matches volunteers with LGBT elders for casual, friendly conversations.
- Virtual Senior Center. A senior center without walls, using technology to connect home-bound and socially isolated seniors to their communities.
- Warmlines. Unlike a hotline for those in crisis, provides emotional support that can prevent a crisis. Lines are typically free, and offer confidential support from peers who have experienced mental health conditions.
- Well Connected. Virtual community offering free phone and online activities that build community through conversations, games, and education.