Make a difference in the lives of those most lonely this holiday season

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - The holiday season is often lonely for residents of nursing homes and assisted living centers, and the pandemic has greatly increased the impact of the loneliness.

Despite the incredible efforts of staff to provide stimulating activities, life is not the same, and loneliness is real.

The Idaho Commission on Aging (ICOA) encourages you to write letters to residents of nursing homes and assisted living facilities in your area. Letters can be written to “Any Resident” and will be distributed to those that receive little or no correspondence from relatives or friends.

Although most centers have had virtual visitation with family since the beginning, and many have begun guarded in-person visitation, many residents have not seen a face without a mask in months. 

Write a letter, send a card, have your children draw a picture, and send it to a facility in your area addressed to “Any Resident.” This may not seem like much, but to a lonely person, it could mean the world.