Pen pals from around the world

SandBrook residents send letters to aged care homes around the world.

Now more than ever, it is so important for older people to stay connected. Studies suggest that maintaining an active social life is an effective way to keep your brain healthy for longer, and to reduce feelings of stress or anxiety.

Across all McKenzie homes, we ensure residents have plenty of opportunities to socialise. Our lifestyle teams have navigated through social distancing and visitor restrictions by thinking outside the box to keep residents connected to the outside world.

Although these restrictions are now lifting, one initiative that continues is our community Pen Pal programs.

At our Burleigh Waters home, SandBrook Lifestyle Coordinator, Linda started a ‘Pen Pal Postcard Club’. Residents filled out a ‘get to know me’ questionnaire and enclosed it in beautiful cards created by the club members. Linda then addressed these to different agedcare and retirement homes all around the world.

So far, they have received responses from residents in America and Canada; recently receiving a gift pack from a Canadian retirement community.

Residents are eager to continue sending their love and bringing unexpected smiles to the faces of people who were once strangers, creating a sense of community from across the other side of the world.