CONTACT:
Jennifer Gallo, Community Public Relations Coordinator
302-479-1691
For immediate release – May 8 , 2007
ELDER VOLUNTEER COMPANIONSHIP PROGRAM CELEBRATES FIVE YEARS:
ElderBuddy program matches elders with AstraZeneca volunteers
(WILMINGTON, DE) – Since 2003, The Family & Workplace Connection has helped volunteer employees and retirees from AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP offer companionship to seniors in the local community who may not have friends or family nearby.
These visits are much more than a walk in the park or an afternoon at the movies. The benefits of the ElderBuddy relationships are also supported by scientific research. A recent study from scientists at the University of Chicago found that loneliness is a major risk factor in increasing blood pressure in older Americans, and could increase the risk of death from stroke and heart disease. According to the study, improvements in a sense of social connectedness may have clinical benefits comparable to lifestyle modifications, such as weight loss or exercise to reduce hypertension. In fact, the results are so compelling that the National Institute on Aging has set a goal to help determine what can be done to improve the quality of relationships and social connectedness to ease loneliness among older adults.
Kathy Hyde, Elder Services Director at The Family & Workplace Connection, says “In 2002, Irene Fick, Director of Corporate Community Alliances for AstraZeneca, worked to develop ElderBuddy as a way to address two growing trends: the willingness of AstraZeneca employees and retirees to volunteer on behalf of the company and the rapid growth of seniors living in residential facilities. She contacted FWC and since then we have been able to offer our experience and expertise working with local seniors to bring the ElderBuddy program to life.”
FWC began by identifying facilities located within a 15-minute drive of AstraZeneca’s headquarters, then developed program guidelines, interviewed volunteers and seniors, and matched those with similar interests. In the spring of 2003, a small number of AstraZeneca Ambassadors officially launched the program by making their first visits with local seniors.
Five years later, the program is still going strong. Today, ElderBuddy maintains more than 30 volunteers, who visit “buddies” at four participating nonprofit facilities: Gilpin Hall, Kentmere Nursing Care Center, Luther Towers and Ingleside Retirement Apartments. Volunteers and ElderBuddies enjoy a myriad of activities from something as simple as a quick chat over a cup of coffee to a holiday trip to Longwood Gardens. In addition, the program also includes a quarterly newsletter, which is distributed to volunteers, seniors and site coordinators. And, many of the original pairings from that humble beginning are still going strong. AstraZeneca employee Lou Ryan has visited his ElderBuddy Sam four times a month since the program began in 2003. “There’s a real need for a program like ElderBuddy,” Ryan says. “Sometimes just being there [for an older adult] makes all the difference.”
About The Family & Workplace Connection
The Family & Workplace Connection is a dependent care resource and referral organization whose mission is to enhance the supply and quality of care and education for children and elders and to help families effectively manage their work and personal life responsibilities.
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca is a major international healthcare business engaged in the research, development, manufacture, and marketing on prescription pharmaceuticals and the supply of healthcare services. It is one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies with healthcare sales of nearly $23.95 billion and leading positions in sales of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory, oncology, and infection products. In the United States, AstraZeneca is a $10.77 billion healthcare business with more than 12,000 employees. AstraZeneca is listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (Global) as well as the FTSE4Good Index. For more information about AstraZeneca, please visit www.astrazeneca-us.com
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