Connecting community: Local resources expanded to reduce social isolation among seniors

Older adults are at increased risk for loneliness and social isolation due to a number of factors, according to the CDC.

These feelings could lead to serious public health risks, including dementia and other medical conditions.

In the U.S., more than one-third of adults aged 45 and older feel lonely, and nearly one-fourth of adults aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated, according to a study from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM).

In an effort to combat these statistics in the Coachella Valley, The Jewish Family Service of the Desert is expanding it's 'Let's Do Lunch!' program at the Desert Hot Springs Senior Center.

The inaugural program starts at noon today, and will tae place the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month from noon to 2:00 p.m.

The idea for the program initially started out ten years ago "as a discussion with The Joslyn Center and how to engage the seniors that were receiving Meals on Wheels," explained Julie Hirsch, Director of Community Outreach at JFS Desert.

The goal was to encourage seniors to get out of their homes and engage with others in the community, but the result fell short of what JFS Desert had hoped to achieve at the time.

"We didn't have much success with the Meals on Wheels clients really wanting to get out, so we moved forward with the program for isolated or homebound seniors that were ambulatory enough to get out," said Hirsch.

JFS Desert has been in partnership with The Joslyn Center, the Cathedral City Senior Center, the James O. Jessie Desert Highland Unity Center, and two affordable senior housing locations in Cathedral City. Now, the organization is adding the Desert Hot Springs Senior Center to that list.

JFS Desert's programs for seniors offer live entertainment, lectures, and other services and programs older adults in the community may find helpful.

"With the help of our therapists' feedback, working with their senior clients, we came across a lot of research on the impacts os isolation can have on seniors, and this was a way to try and figure out what can we do?," said "We didn't have much success with the Meals on Wheels clients really wanting to get out, so we moved forward with the program for isolated or homebound seniors that were ambulatory enough to get out," said Hirsch.

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer with The Jewish Family Service of the Desert can visit their website for more information.