Warminster Nursing Home Residents Get Pen Pals

WARMINSTER, PA — A group of seniors at a Warminster nursing home are getting a bit of brightness during their days in coronavirus shutdown, thanks to a group of volunteer pen pals.

Residents of Majestic Oaks Nursing and Rehabilitation Center currently are facing visitor restrictions in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

In response, Shaun LaRosa, the activities director at Majestic Oaks, and friend Katie Starrantino, a social worker currently working with the aging population, came up with the idea for the pen-pal program.

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They've named the volunteer group "Jack's Pals," after Starrantino's late grandfather, who she says was a social butterfly for all of his 96 years. She said he frequently worried about the impact of loneliness and isolation among the older population.

Currently, there are 50 Jack's Pals volunteers who have committed to writing weekly to Majestic Oaks residents through at least the end of May.

"Depression and isolation are already major problems in nursing facilities," Starrantino said. "And now we have this new challenge that is going to increase the struggle these seniors are facing. The letters Jack's Pals volunteers are writing will raise residents' spirits, make them laugh, and give them a sense of connection."

Starrantino is managing the volunteers, who email her their letters each week. She sends the letters on to LaRosa, who prints them at Majestic Oaks, stuffs them in envelopes, delivers them, and arranges to have them read to residents with visual impairments.

Related: Warminster, Show Us Your Messages Of Hope

He also is helping residents who are able to do so to write back to their pen pals.

"We are so excited to be launching this program," LaRosa said. "The current situation with COVID-19 is challenging for everyone, but it's especially sad for seniors who have to self-isolate as strictly as possible. We know how much they miss the interaction with family and friends. Jack's Pals is going to help us give our residents an additional sense of connection while keeping them safe."

Starrantino expects the volunteers to get as much from the program as the residents.

"I learned two important lessons from my grandfather," Starrantino said. "First, that you have to help people. We all need each other. And second, that at the end of the day, nothing feels better than knowing you made a difference for someone."

For more information, you may visit the Jack's Pals website.

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