Workers from all municipal departments are participating in the effort, conducting more than 37,000 phone calls to date and receiving responses from senior residents.
In an attempt to curb the loneliness epidemic accompanying the coronavirus, especially among the elderly, approximately 200 employees of Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality have begun to make phone calls to elderly citizens.
The callers check on the elderly person’s well being and identify any needs resulting from the current lockdown. Any details recorded are then transferred to social workers employed by the municipality’s social services department.
Workers from all municipal departments are participating in the effort, conducting more than 37,000 phone calls to date and receiving responses from senior residents, who have often found themselves isolated from family members.
The senior population are considered to be part of at risk groups, further increasing the risks of loneliness and anxiety among them.
Tel Aviv Municipality has launched several initiatives during the coronavirus crisis tailored for the elderly population and in accordance with Health Ministry guidelines. These include outdoor events, support groups using WhatsApp and Zoom, and providing tablet computers so that they could stay in touch with family members. In addition, the municipality has launching its own app called 106+ to help the elderly call for assistance with food and medication delivery, or to receive important information or general assistance from municipal welfare services, as well as allowing neighbors to do so.
“Nobody is left behind in Tel Aviv-Yafo! During this time of uncertainty, anxiety and confusion, a phone call from a municipal representative is sometimes the only human connection to the outside world that is available to senior residents,” said Ron Huldai, Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo.
“I am proud of the municipal workers who mobilized themselves to assist in the battle against COVID-19 and ensure the continued proper functioning of the city,”
As reported by The Jerusalem Post