A changing society

Roughly one in four seniors in Metro Vancouver live alone, and the number is steadily increasing. Isolation affects at least ten percent of seniors living in the Lower Mainland, and most, but not all, are women.

“I had a neighbour upstairs, who was just in desperate condition. He didn’t want help, but he desperately needed it. He no longer had anyone to get him groceries and I asked him if I could help him shop. That was my in!” Marlene says.

“Eventually, I got him home support, cleaning, and eventually we got him into care.

“A lot of things that people feel uncertain about, it’s the fear of trying something different that is the hardest.”

An on-going journey

“I struggled with isolation when I was in a depression. For a long time, before and after, I didn’t go out, and I didn’t want to see anyone. Now when I see someone who I can tell is really isolated, I can empathize. I know what they feel like,” Marlene says.

It is with this knowledge, and the skills she has learned as a connector, that she is able to change the lives of many seniors who otherwise do not have someone they can count on.

“What do we have if we don’t have a connection?” she asks. “We have only ourselves. And with United Way funding we are able to reach out to so many seniors, some that we don’t even know yet!”

Despite her packed schedule, Marlene shows no signs of stopping.

“Sometimes I think, ‘I’m too busy, I’m too busy!’” she laughs. “But then I think, ‘No! I would rather be too busy than not doing anything.’”

Last year, United Way helped nearly 64,000 seniors across the province access resources and services allowing them to stay connected to their communities.