The cover of the Eldercare Locator anti-social isolation brochure that was distributed during the “Home for the Holidays” campaign

With the new year underway, the Department for the Aging is celebrating its successful participation in the national “Home for the Holidays” anti-social isolation campaign.

DFTA joined the campaign with the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging and the AARP Foundation to raise awareness about the epidemic of prolonged social isolation among older adults, which researchers at Brigham Young University found to equal the health risks of smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

Some of DFTA’s highlights from the campaign include a NY1 interview with DFTA Commissioner Donna Corrado on the effects of social isolation and the distribution of 2,000 brochures, which include a social isolation assessment, throughout DFTA’s network.

The national campaign involved approximately 170 area agencies on aging and other organizations from 42 states, garnered coverage from more than 40 media outlets and highlighted the important issue of social isolation.

DFTA’s work to combat social isolation is evident in its friendly visiting program through ThriveNYC, its delivery of more than 4 million meals annually to the homebound, in the approximately 30,000 older adults who visit DFTA-funded senior centers daily for comradery and much more.

Campaign or no campaign, fighting social isolation is central to DFTA’s mission.