Young people are often told to respect their elders, and a group of students at the University of Guelph are taking that advice one step further by trying to connect with them through letters and care packages.
Students Supporting Seniors (SSS) is a student-run organization which aims to create a link between students and seniors in the community. Formed last year, the group has 17 executive members and over 74 general members.
Subah Mujahid is one of the co-founders and co-chair of SSS. With two other co-chairs, Divya Vurrabindi and Samiha Kazi, Mujahid said the club aims to connect the two demographics to increase understanding and to help.
"Our clubs' goal is to make a connection between students and seniors, and our priority is making sure that seniors get what they need even during this isolating pandemic," she said.
Mujahid explains she and the two co-founders are passionate about seniors, joking they would adopt a senior citizen. After experiencing loneliness during the pandemic, the three recognized seniors may be feeling the same way.
“Then we thought, ‘If we were lonely, the seniors community must be super lonely,’ and so, we know that having community for them (seniors) is super important for their mental health and their health in general, so we thought if we made a club to connect with them, then that would help with the loneliness that they feel."
With a seniors home only five minutes away from the university campus, Mujahid said it was a mixture of proximity and passion that resulted in SSS.
“It’s like we’re so close, but we’re so far apart at the same time," she said. "We’re literally a five-minute walk away, but it’s almost two different worlds."
To help seniors fight loneliness, Mujahid said their group started writing letters to residents which contained information about themselves and why they were writing.
“We always make sure we make the letters inclusive to anyone so anyone who gets a letter has the opportunity to write back to us,” she said.
These letters were sent to Heritage Home, Norfolk Manor and The Elliot Community, and while the responses varied, Mujahid said it was heartwarming to learn from long-term care staff that the seniors appreciated the letters.
“Just hearing that it made someone’s day is really rewarding," said Mujahid.
By writing a letter to a senior, Mujahid adds, it also gave her the opportunity to disconnect from technology.
“It was really nice to disconnect with technology a little bit, I know technology has been helping us a lot during the pandemic, but to have a physical letter in front of us, or just to know that someone has written something by hand and sent it to us, was just magical.”
Along with the letters, SSS started raising money to create and send care packages to seniors. Each packages contained items that seniors needed, such as lip balm, lotion and diabetic socks, and goodies like chocolate or candy.
These care packages even inspired a community member to send one as well, said Mujahid.
“Another member of the community actually reached out to us, and was really impacted by our initiative, and they actually sent a care package on behalf of us as well," she said.
As word spread about their efforts, Mujahid said the community stepped up to help them support seniors. SSS spoke with Mayor Cam Guthrie who helped them to reach out to local businesses, resulting in getting a donation of plants to send to long-term care homes.
“We were so overjoyed, we’re appreciative to everyone who reaches out or sends us messages or tells that they’re interested,” said Mujahid about the community's response. “It was touching to see us almost making like a ripple effect."
On campus, Mujahid said many students have expressed an interest in participating with SSS despite not knowing anything about seniors.
“I think students are receptive to it because it doesn’t take so much of their effort or so much of their time, because with some many of us, we’re able to make a bigger impact than what a little group of us would be able to make," she said.
Mujahid said forming this club has helped her to learn more about seniors, the role care homes play within this population and has developed a stronger bond with Guelph.
“It’s a community of people that I hadn’t had the opportunity to reach out to much before, and now I feel like I can," she said.
Going forward, the group is hoping to continue to engage with seniors by phone, and eventually, meeting with them face-to-face.
“With the pandemic, face-to-face meeting is tough, but one of our dreams is to go to a senior home and intermingle with people, that’s in the works right now,” said Mujahid.
In the meantime, SSS is planning to send another set of care packages to seniors and is looking for donations. Those interested in donating to the care packages can email SSS at [email protected].