Program Information

There is no place for senior loneliness in St. Louis.

Visit-A-Bit is designed to directly address senior adult loneliness in the Greater St. Louis area. It's a weekly socialization program that connects volunteers with seniors that may be living alone or in a senior community, together to develop meaningful relationships.

BENEFITS OF VISIT-A-BIT PROGRAM:

  • Improve Quality of Life: To improve the quality of life for senior participants, who may be experiencing levels of loneliness through connected weekly socialization.
  • Promote Independence: Resources can be provided to promote health, independence, and dignity in the home and community while offering weekly visit tasks as well.
  • Encourage Healthy Habits: To ensure homebound seniors are not food insecure, and to provide them with nutritional resources, if needed.
  • Protect from Abuse: To provide seniors with information about financial scams, fraud, and elder abuse; and, to provide fraud prevention/detection materials and information.
  • Increase Socialization: Weekly volunteer visits encourage the senior adult to socialize more. While interacting with others may help lighten your mood and feelings of loneliness may decrease.
  • Weekly Entertainment: Visit-A-Bit seniors have the option to play weekly Tele-Bingo which offers short-term memory skills, hand and eye coordination and a fun time!

UNIQUE ASPECTS ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Volunteer home-visit programs are not new to the St. Louis region, but the Visiting Nurse Association of Greater St. Louis has uncovered important realities other programs have not addressed.  Specifically, other programs do not provide a dependable guide to help volunteers and adult participants actively engage in a variety of ways during visits, causing relational fatigue. By providing weekly, structured activity ideas, Visit-A-Bit increases the opportunity for mental stimulation which greatly improves the participant experience and increases the probability of positive health outcomes. 

FACTS ABOUT SENIOR LONELINESS IN ST. LOUIS

Adult and senior loneliness in St. Louis is not new to our community and is reaching epidemic proportions.  Studies show that over 43% of seniors have felt alone at least some of the time, and there’s health data that concludes loneliness can increase the chances for serious health issues, like dementia and heart failure. 

One leading study determined that loneliness can increase the likelihood of death by 24%.  The physical and mental health risks are real and it’s time for people in St. Louis to take action. 

Participate

Everyone ages in life, but not everyone ages with the comfort that someone will be there to care. Visit-A-Bit is changing that in the Greater St. Louis area, and we want to talk to you about ways to help.

Participate in Visit-A-Bit