© 2025 WGLT
A public service of Illinois State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Nonprofit in Normal offers program to fight senior loneliness and isolation

A woman sits in a black recliner chair and smiles at the camera. Another woman stands next to her and smiles at the camera too.
Melissa Ellin
/
WGLT
Shirley Craig and Barb Stevig were paired in May through Faith in Action's Friendly Visits and Calls program.

For some, the holidays are a time to reconnect with family and friends, but for others, this time of year can remind people how alone they are.

Emily Buhrow of Bloomington said she realized this a few years ago when she volunteered at a nursing home and asked one of the residents about her plans.

“I said, you know, ‘What do you do for Christmas?’ Or, ‘What do you want for Christmas?’” Buhrow said. “And she said she didn't really have anybody or anyone to get her a gift or something that she wanted.”

Inspired by the interaction, Buhrow became a volunteer with the Normal-based nonprofit Faith in Action, which assists area seniors needing extra assistance — including through Friendly Visits and Calls, a program that pairs volunteers with seniors for regular conversations to fight loneliness and social isolation.

The conversations can happen in person, over video calls, or even on the phone. Faith in Action leaves that up to the pairs to decide what might work best for their preferences and schedules.

A woman stands outside of a brick building with "WGLT" white letters on it.
Melissa Ellin
/
WGLT
Emily Buhrow, a volunteer with Faith in Action.

Buhrow and her care receiver meet bi-weekly and call all the time, the volunteer said, adding that she often reminds her pair she is never a burden.

“I just love that I'm helping her live a better life,” Buhrow said of her current pair. “That’s the biggest benefit for me.”

Friendly visitors has been around for several years, and Sharon Hoy, who assists with the program, said it’s become more popular in recent months. Since April — when she was added to the team, as part of efforts to boost the program’s operations — Hoy said the volunteer count more than doubled. Numbers shot from around 35 to roughly 75.

“I’m encouraged by how many people want to try it,” she said.

‘Everyone needs community’

And Hoy, along with Faith in Action’s Executive Director Darla Heath, said they would like it if even more people felt encouraged to participate going forward.

“The Surgeon General did a study last year [and cited] that the impact on health of lacking a social connection is equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day,” Heath said, referencing a statistic from a 2017 study by another researcher. “We’re hoping… that within several months of receiving our services [participating seniors are] going to not feel as isolated and feel more social connection.”

The program is a big commitment, Heath said, as the organization expects volunteers to meet with their pair for potentially years, but that’s because Faith in Action’s mission is to keep people in their homes for as long as they wish, without having to turn to nursing homes or other alternatives for that human connection.

“Everyone needs community,” said Volunteer Coordinator Stacey Bill. “And even if you're an introvert or somebody who doesn't crave a lot of it, you need somebody looking out for you.”

An added benefit to the model, Heath said, is Faith in Action can learn about the seniors’ other needs from the friendly visitors. For example, Buhrow said she often finds seniors don’t have family in town, and even when they do, they may not always have close relationships. At the same time, many will have mobility issues or other concerns that keep them inside the house — and away from resources.

“Some of them can't drive and they can't get out on their own, and even getting like their medications is difficult,” she said. “Grocery shopping is difficult. They just can't, so it kind of puts things into perspective.”

In those cases, Buhrow can relay the situation to Faith in Action, so the nonprofit can offer driving services and other assistance, and Buhrow lends a helping hand there, as well.

Joining the program

To determine candidates for friendly visitors, Faith in Action uses the UCLA Loneliness Scale, a standard survey that is used nationwide to determine how lonely or socially isolated someone is. People who score higher are invited to join. Heath said the nonprofit plans to track people’s scores throughout the program to see if they improve.

That way, the program’s impact gets measured beyond anecdotes — which Heath said are oftentimes positive.

Take Shirley Craig, a care receiver who is mostly blind and, as a result, finds it hard to get out of the house most days. She has family in town who she said get her to appointments and the like, but she gets most of her social interaction through her Friendly Visitors pair Barb Stevig, who goes to Shirley’s house twice a month.

“We talk about our kids and our grandkids… and we just enjoy each other,” Craig explained, adding that she thinks “it's a wonderful program for people to engage in because it brings somebody into the house that you maybe you don't know to begin with, but it brings somebody in regularly.”

As a retired nurse with several kids and grandkids all living far away, Stevig said volunteering is just as helpful for her. She also volunteers with a local ministry, but Stevig said she falls victim to loneliness too.

“So we kind of bond in that way,” Stevig said of her and Craig. “And so yes, it gets me up and going and out of the house and thinking about somebody else.”

Both Stevig and Buhrow reached out to Faith in Action to get their journeys started — which is all it takes to join their programs. Since each of them reached out a few years ago, they have had multiple pairs and they say every one has been unique.

But the needs remain the same: to build a relationship and form a long-lasting connection. Buhrow even gets her wife and kids involved. For this holiday season, Buhrow and her family will ensure her current pair isn’t alone. They’ve got a holiday lights drive planned soon.

We depend on your support to keep telling stories like this one. WGLT’s mental health coverage is made possible in part by Report For America and Chestnut Health Systems. Please take a moment to donate now and add your financial support to fully fund this growing coverage area so we can continue to serve the community.

Melissa Ellin is a reporter at WGLT and a Report for America corps member, focused on mental health coverage.