Tennessee Baptists, state launch helpline for lonely, older adults
Older adults feeling lonely and isolated can find an encouraging word and a listening ear by picking up the phone.
A new helpline, the TN Hope Line, has launched in Tennessee. Callers can reach trained volunteers willing to listen to whatever is on their minds and connect them with resources they might need.
Studies show feelings of loneliness and social isolation are common among older adults and have been exacerbated amid the global pandemic. A 2018 University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging found 27% of adults over 50 said they felt isolated from others. That number jumped to 56% in 2020.
“As many as half a million older adults may go an entire week without seeing or talking to anyone. They need encouragement and a kind listening ear, especially during these times of grief, loneliness, hardship and isolation,” Dave Worland, the executive director of the Governor’s Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives, said in a news release.
The helpline is a project of the Faith Based and Community Initiatives office, which launched after Gov. Bill Lee was elected in 2018 and is funded by donations instead of tax dollars. Lee, a conservative Christian, made the office a part of his campaign platform, basing it on his view that government is not the answer to all problems.
The office also has put together guidelines for houses of worship wanting to hold in-person services during the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. On Wednesday, it started a four-week effort to pray for coronavirus-related concerns in Tennessee.
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To create the TN Hope Line, the office partnered with the Tennessee Commission on Aging and Disability as well as the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board. Adults ages 60 and up can call the helpline at 844-600-8262 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. The call is free.
The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, which represents more than 3,200 Southern Baptist churches in Tennessee and nearby states, is providing the manpower for the helpline, said Joe Sorah, the compassion ministries specialist for the mission board. They jumped at the chance to partner on this project, he said.
“We’re going to be there to try to assist in any way we can for anybody that’s lonely and hurting,” Sorah said.
Launched in December, calls to the helpline are coming in slowly, Sorah said. A skeleton crew is answering the phones as more volunteers are trained. They are looking for more people to sign on. Volunteers do not have to be Baptist, but Sorah said they want them to be Christian.
Those who answer the phones are there to listen, offer encouragement and connect callers to resources, including churches and ministries in their communities, to meet needs like food and basic supplies. If the callers are open to it, the volunteers will pray with them, too, Sorah said.
“We really just want to listen and then if somebody’s OK with us praying with them, we’ll pray with them,” Sorah said. “Whatever they need, we’ll try to meet that need.”
Reach Holly Meyer at [email protected] or 615-259-8241 and on Twitter @HollyAMeyer.
TN Hope Line
Lonely adults ages 60 and up can call the TN Hope Line at 844-600-8262 to speak with trained volunteers who will offer encouragement, actively listen and connect them with additional resources. The hope line is answered from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
