fox29.com
28.01.2022 / 00:11
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Volunteer program helps socially isolated veterans amid ongoing COVID-19 pandemic
who are isolated and potentially feeling lonely to have some social interaction, even if it’s just through a telephone call. The CCC expanded rapidly due to the ongoing pandemic and there became an increased need for social interactions for veterans, according to a VA blog post. "We were concerned about the isolation right away. We realized that a lot of our veterans, a lot of people, don't like to even admit that they are lonely, and so, until they do that, it's kind of hard for us to help the way we want to, but, we know that there's research that shows that chronic loneliness can be as bad for your health as smoking half a pack of cigarettes a day," Prince Taylor, deputy director for the VA Center for Development and Civic Engagement, told FOX 13 Tampa. So far, there are about 750 volunteers participating in the program across the country and they’ve been matched with over 1,500 veterans, Taylor continued. FILE - An elderly lady takes a phone call in her home.