Senior Smile Squad : )

We want to help elderly people feel more connected to their community. We are interested in positively impacting on their wellbeing. We believe that their is an opportunity for people of our age to help older generations, but also, we believe that the lived experiences of older people can influence and help us as well.

Our Social Issue

We are interested in facing the challenge presented to us by Elderly loneliness. Our desire is to improve the quality of life for the aging members of our community. We are saddened by statistics from Alone and CSO which highlight the plight of the elderly members of our community who are the forgotten generation of modern Ireland.

Why We Chose It

We chose the social issue of elderly loneliness as we felt this was a very pressing issue in our community, with many nursing homes and day care centres in our local area. Many people in our YSI group know people in these nursing homes, or just have elderly people in our lives, so this issue was very personal for many of us. We really wanted to improve the lives of the elderly through visiting and taking time out of our day to talk with them, so decided to take on this issue for our YSI project.

Our Goal

Loneliness among older adults is a pressing issue, and our plan is to make a positive impact. By visiting day care centers and nursing homes, we intend to create meaningful connections. Through engaging activities like bingo, nail painting, and music sessions, we hope to provide companionship and brighten their days. We have recognized that personalized interventions are essential and there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. We aim to foster warmth, laughter, and shared moments to alleviate the isolation faced by our seniors. We are passionate over this issue because we all have or have had someone older in our lives.

Our Innovative Action

Some actions that we have taken for senior smile squad includes going to Clarecastle Daycare Centre in small groups to engage with the elderly clients, and leading activities such as painting nails, bingo and art. We also provide light entertainment in the form of traditional music and dance. We have also interviewed scores of people in our local community about our YSI project and getting their opinion on what makes them smile and what they think of our project. We then posted those videos on our social media to try spread awareness about elderly loneliness.

Our Impact

We have made a massive positive difference in the lives of many people in our local community. We did this by even bringing a smile to those on the streets who stopped to let us interview them. We brought entertainment to those in Clarecastle Day Care Centre also by having chats, playing music, dancing, painting with them and much much more. As a result of doing all this it makes us feel better about ourselves and feel like we’ve made a huge difference to those who battle against loneliness and isolation on a daily basis.