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Friendship Line at Institute on Aging
Cause Area
- Crisis Support
- Immigrants & Refugees
- LGBTQ+
- People with Disabilities
- Seniors
Location
3575 Geary Blvd.San Francisco, CA 94118 United States
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Organization Information
Mission Statement
Institute on Aging’s 24-hour toll-free Friendship Line is the only accredited crisis line in the country for people aged 60 years and older, and adults living with disabilities. We also make on-going outreach calls to lonely older adults. While there are other organizations that respond to the needs of people who may be contemplating suicide, none provides the type of services that IOA’s Friendship Line offers to respond to the public health problem of suicide among the elderly. Knowing that older people do not contact traditional suicide prevention centers on a regular basis even if they are considering suicide, we created the only program nationwide that reaches out to lonely, depressed, isolated, frail and/or suicidal older adults. Our trained volunteers specialize in offering a caring ear and having a friendly conversation with depressed older adults.
Description
The Friendship Line is both a crisis intervention hotline and a warmline for non-emergency emotional support calls. Founded in 1973 by Dr. Patrick Arbore, and accredited by the American Association of Suicidology, Friendship Line provides round-the-clock crisis support services including:
- Providing emotional support
- Elder abuse reporting
- Grief support through assistance and reassurance
- Active suicide intervention
- Information and referrals for isolated older adults, and adults living with disabilities
In addition to receiving incoming calls, Friendship Line also offers a call-out service. We connect with people based on their schedule preference for receiving calls on a regular basis. The call-out services act as an intervention to prevent suicide in the long term by improving the quality of life and connectedness of isolated callers. Any aging adult or person living with disabilities, who suffers from depression, loneliness, isolation, anxiousness, or may be thinking about death or suicide, can benefit from completely confidential phone calls with Friendship Line volunteers. Sometimes the road to happiness begins by simply saying hello to someone who cares.
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