Today, as most of the world is making major strides toward reopening and gathering again with COVID-19 cases finally subsiding, it was this time last year that many felt hopeless and powerless as the pandemic confined most Americans to their homes. For one visiting Panamanian, Miami would become his temporary home as the pandemic inhibited him from returning home to Panama at the onset of the COVID-19 crisis. Twenty-one-year-old Baruj Avram found himself stranded and alone in Miami when the whole world shut down. Alone with only his thoughts and his phone that kept him connected to his family back in Panama, Avram pondered what it must be like for Americans who have no family. He then thought beyond that and considered the lives of elderly people in senior care homes.
After some quick research, Avram was surprised to discover a demographic of people called “elderly orphans,” or elderly people who have no family. These people are often residents in senior homes who receive no visitors or phone calls from the time they check into the homes until the day they die.
“I’m from Panama and Panama was completely locked down,” he says. “I was forced to quarantine by myself for eight months and after a few months went by, I spent my birthday alone and I just felt so lonely. I wanted to connect with people who were going through the same thing. Then I discovered elder orphans and knew I had to help.”
Saddened and humbled by this new discovery of people, Avram felt led to make an impact. In realizing his own feelings of despair and loneliness through the pandemic, he knew he had to help elderly orphans find connection and companionship, despite not having any family. After six months, Avram established a non-profit organization called Calls4Care, a platform that connects volunteers with elderly orphans so that they can converse and establish friendships via telephone conversations. With his partners Steven Manocherian, Natalie Manocherian, and Daniel Manocherian, Avram has already managed to help more than 2000 people connect. Volunteers can be quickly matched with elderly orphans after participating in a simple yet effective interview process that helps Calls4Care determine a volunteer’s interests, hobbies and life experiences in order to match them with the best possible elderly orphan candidates.
Despite the fact that the pandemic seems to be finally diminishing, human connection remains a necessity for all. For those who have a heart for giving back, Calls4Care looks forward to connecting new volunteers with the perfect elderly orphan. To learn more about Calls4Care, visit their website.
