The "Elderly Buddy Program" is a mutual care model for the elderly, with the original intention of caring for the elderly living alone in the community, and bringing health protection, community communication and spiritual comfort to the elderly in the community through the form of caring for the elderly in the community. There are many elderly people living alone in the Keyuan residential area of Caohejing Street, Xuhui District, and there are currently 6 paired volunteers of the "Old Partner Program" and 26 elderly people have been paired to serve the elderly. The model of "helping the elderly" not only warms the elderly, but also many volunteers have gained the respect, trust and praise of the residents in the "helping others" service.
Late one night, Aunt Wang (pseudonym), an 82-year-old elderly person living alone in the Keyuan community, accidentally slipped and fell at home, resulting in unbearable pain in the lower body and difficulty in moving. She immediately thought of her "old partner" - Aunt Zhang (pseudonym), a pair volunteer. After receiving the request for help, Aunt Zhang immediately went to Aunt Wang's house to check the situation, and contacted the ambulance as soon as possible to send the elderly to the hospital in time. During the waiting period, Aunt Zhang promptly notified the elderly's situation and status to her children and community workers who were far away, and accompanied the elderly to do various examinations in the hospital and pay the relevant expenses on her behalf. Due to the timely treatment of Aunt Wang, Aunt Wang's injuries have been better controlled and effectively treated.
Afterwards, Aunt Wang and her family were very grateful to Aunt Zhang for her help, and Aunt Wang told reporters that Aunt Zhang cared about herself like a relative all year round, "In addition to the daily ** contact, Xiao Zhang will visit me every week." I usually meet in the community, and she always cares about my physical condition, and if she doesn't see me for a day or two, she will come to the door to confirm my safety. In the past two days, the cold wave has come again, and she has reminded me from time to time to pay attention to the weather changes and my physical health. With her here, I feel very relieved! ”
Respect for the elderly is a traditional virtue of the Chinese nation, and the 'old buddy' twinning program allows us to exert our social value and enrich our old life." This is the common aspiration of Aunt Zhang and the "old partners" paired volunteers in the Keyuan residential area.
*: Shanghai Xuhui.