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Lonely seniors forge friendships through 'little
brothers' campaign
PROFILE
Les Petits Frères matches more than 1,000 Quebec seniors with younger volunteers
By David Gutnick, CBC News
Posted: Nov 24, 2013 5:00 AM ET
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Last Updated: Nov 24, 2013 5:06 AM ET
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Volunteers and Seniors share a noon meal in the Petits Frères dining room in Montreal. The Quebec chapter of the
organization called Les Petit Frères matches more than 1,000 seniors with younger volunteers to combat feelings of isolation
that can be harmful to a person's health and well-being. (David Gutnick/CBC)
Top News Headlines
Meals on Wheels can deliver a hot meal. A doctor can prescribe pills. A
personal support worker can help with dressing, or a bath. They’re all
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/lonely-seniors-forge-friendships-through-little-brothers-campaign-1.2435073[2014-01-31 09:48:31]
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Lonely seniors forge friendships through 'little brothers' campaign - Health - CBC News
Documentary: Petits Frères
9:10
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Researchers say the impact on health of being lonely is comparable to
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■ The
And it all happens far from public view, behind closed doors. In Quebec,
an organization called
"Les Petits Frères: La grande famille des personnes âgées seules" is
trying to break through that isolation. More than 1,000 Quebec seniors
are matched with younger volunteers, with the idea of creating a real and
ongoing friendship.
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External Links
■ Les
Petits Freres
Quebec
■ Canadian
Institute
Everything Les Petits Frères does is
rooted in the idea that human connection
is essential to life. Their motto is “Les
fleurs avant le pain," which translates as
Flowers Before Bread.
Les Petits Frères was founded in France
by Armand Marquiset, a wealthy, debonair
Catholic intellectual. In 1939, while praying
at Notre-Dame Cathedral, Marquiset
decided to dedicate the rest of his days to
helping out “les petits frères,” little brothers
who were less fortunate than he was.
At the end the Second World War
Marquiset signed up volunteers. They
began feeding impoverished elderly
people who had lost all their close family
members in the war.
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Marquiset believed that loneliness was as
■ Everything You Always
great a problem as hunger. He began
Wanted to Know about
inviting isolated seniors to vacation at his
Goldman Sachs, But Were
elegant family estate. He renamed it Le
Afraid to Ask.
Château de Bonheur - The Chateau of
Happiness - where he threw lavish parties,
making sure there were lots of flowers and laughter.
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Today, Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly as it is known in English flourishes in eight countries, including the United States. It’s almost
impossible to keep up with the growing demand for what it has to offer.
■
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/lonely-seniors-forge-friendships-through-little-brothers-campaign-1.2435073[2014-01-31 09:48:31]
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Lonely seniors forge friendships through 'little brothers' campaign - Health - CBC News
Little Brothers Friends of the
Elderly USA
■ British
Campaign to
End Loneliness
■ Les
Petits Freres
France
(Note: CBC does not
endorse and is not
responsible for the
content of external links.)
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But while it has been
in Canada now for 50
years, it hasn't spread
beyond Quebec.
At noon on a
weekday afternoon,
there is a traffic jam
of walkers and
wheelchairs in the
front hallway of the
downtown Montreal
headquarters of Les
Petits Frères. The air
smells of perfume,
roast beef and homemade apple pie.
Every few minutes the
front door swings
open. Another guest
is gently led in,
welcomed with
smoked salmon hors
Nathalie Brunet greets Henri Gauthier during one of his
noon visits to Les Petits Freres in Montreal. (David
d'oeuvres, and then
Gutnick/CBC)
led to the dining room
where there are
bouquets of fresh cut roses and lilies on every table.
Benny Valente is a volunteer driver. “I have nothing to do, they have
nothing to do, so we get together and we have something to do.”
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For others, Les Petits Frères is about much more than that. In between
forkfuls of mashed potatoes, 78-year-old Henri Gauthier tells a tablemate about life in his two room apartment in a rent-subsidized residence.
“I feel lonely, you know, and I don’t want to talk about it. Sometimes I
hate that, la vie c’est la vie, life is life. Sometimes I say, ‘I do not care,’ I
hate myself, you know.”
Susan Valente is a volunteer, and many conversations with the seniors
she meets have convinced her how important these lunch dates can
be. “Without Les Petits Frères a lot of people would commit suicide,” she
says.
Her husband Benny agrees. “Somebody should start off the organization
on the English side, because the way it is now it is only the French side
doing this.”
There are few English speakers – either seniors or volunteers - involved
with Les Petits Frères. The organization is very much old-school FrenchCanadian.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/lonely-seniors-forge-friendships-through-little-brothers-campaign-1.2435073[2014-01-31 09:48:31]
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Lonely seniors forge friendships through 'little brothers' campaign - Health - CBC News
Les Petits Frères has
no religious or
government affiliation.
The organization is
financed by private
donations and is
fiercely independent.
To get help you must
be 75 years old and
have no family
members living
nearby. Seniors are
referred by social
workers, nurses or
neighbours. It doesn’t
matter whether they
live alone or in a
residence, whether
they are sick or
healthy, rich or poor they just have to say
they are lonely.
The headquarters of Les Petits Frères in Quebec is in the
Plateau Mont-Royal neighbourhood in Montreal. (David
Peter McGrail is one
Gutnick/CBC)
of the people who
draws support from
the organization. He's pretty good at steering his electric wheelchair
through the narrow halls of his senior’s apartment tower in Montreal’s
east end, which Les Petits Frères helped him find when others didn’t
work out.
McGrail is a bachelor: he worked for decades at Eaton’s, decorating
store windows from Toronto to Halifax. After he retired he enjoyed
attending concerts, tinkering with antique clocks and gardening at his
cabin. But then McGrail’s health and his finances went south.
By the time he was 80, life was grim. His only friends were the birds and
chipmunks he fed in the park.
“I thought of suicide a few times,” he says, "When you are down and out
at Christmas time, you look out the window and see a cement wall, and it
is snowing out and you don’t know what to think, what to do, so you just
lie down.”
Nathalie Brunet is the the program coordinator at Les Petits Frères. She
remembers the phone call from a social worker asking if the organization
could see one of her clients - an Anglophone - who was in trouble. “Mr. McGrail has
diabetes,” she says,
and he was not eating
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/lonely-seniors-forge-friendships-through-little-brothers-campaign-1.2435073[2014-01-31 09:48:31]
Lonely seniors forge friendships through 'little brothers' campaign - Health - CBC News
the foods he needed.
“His eyes were
getting weaker, so of
course he could not
see if something was
dirty, if something was
misplaced.”
McGrail was in a
difficult situation and
like many seniors was
“depressed and
starting to think
suicidal thoughts.”
Les Petits Frères
helped McGrail get
medical help and
found a home suited
to his needs and his
budget. He also
Peter McGrail shows off his studio apartment, which he
found with help from Les Petits Frères in Montreal. (David
became a regular
Gutnick/CBC)
guest at the
organization’s fancy
four course meals. But most importantly, Les Petits Frères twinned
McGrail with a volunteer.
“They got me a gentleman,” he says “to come and see me once a week,
just to talk. It takes the weight off you, worrying. If it wasn’t for Les Petits
Frères, I don’t know where I would be."
To the last breath and beyond
Nathalie Brunet looks over today’s party. Despite the delicious food,
laughter and flowers, there’s a hint of sadness in her - this week there’s
an empty chair at one of the tables.
Madame Lucille Mclaughlin had just died. She was 80.
Les Petits Frères will make sure what happens next will be done just
right.
“Our commitment is to take care of them to the end. That also means
after,” says Nathalie.
Les Petits Frères takes charge of funeral services when no-one else
steps up. There are six areas reserved for “Old Friends” in the NotreDame-des-Neiges Cemetery on Mont Royal. At some funerals there are
but a handful of mourners.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/lonely-seniors-forge-friendships-through-little-brothers-campaign-1.2435073[2014-01-31 09:48:31]
Lonely seniors forge friendships through 'little brothers' campaign - Health - CBC News
“If we were not there,” says Nathalie Brunet, “there would not be
anybody else.”
[Listen to David Gutnick's full radio documentary about Les
Petits Frères. Click the link at the top of this page or visit The
Sunday Edition's website.]
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Susan
In Halifax my husband & I have started the Halifax Seniors' Happiness Project to provide
intellectual stimulation and social & community involvement to seniors. Though everyone
loves the concept (www.halifaxseniorshappinessproject.com), to get small groups of
seniors "out & about", we are struggling to find clients. We do plan to charge $25. for pickup, activity & to be delivered safely home in order to cover our costs - as we too are
seniors on a budget. Seniors don't seem to want to spend $... » more
2 months ago 1 Like
Like Share
Jean BellyFull
I don't recall this being on The National. I may have missed it. If it wasn't it should be.
2 months ago 1 Like
Like Share
Jean BellyFull
Marvellous idea. Nice to see stories about compassion in the news these days. Kudos to
these people.
2 months ago 2 Likes
Like Share
nannie jones
So, how does one go about starting one of these up in our community. I can totally see
this as being a wonderful thing for any community. is there some point of contact we can
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/lonely-seniors-forge-friendships-through-little-brothers-campaign-1.2435073[2014-01-31 09:48:31]
Lonely seniors forge friendships through 'little brothers' campaign - Health - CBC News
make with the Quebec group ? they could help us get this rolling..
2 months ago 3 Likes
Like Share
SusanainMtl
@nannie jones Look around, check with your local Centraide or Y, there may
already be something like that in your area, and you won't need to start from
scratch. Sometimes, there are ads for volunteers in the local papers.
2 months ago 0 Likes
Like Share
talk2atree
It's not often that we read good news stories of this type.
Thanks for reporting this, we need to know there is much good in the world.
2 months ago 4 Likes
Like Share
Yogi :)Wow. I am speechless after having read this. What a wonderful idea to help people; and
its SOOOO needed for seniors who find themselves alone in advanced age. We should
really be promoting this organization across Canada.
Wonderful, just wonderful!
2 months ago 6 Likes
Like Share
cactusflower
I am one of those 'personal support workers' who would like to find a way to start
something similar to Les Petits Freres in my community. I think if each of us contact
various service organizations, care home management, or doctors and nurses whose
patients are primarily geriatric, we could accomplish great things.
2 months ago 4 Likes
Like Share
Mary Lynn M.
If somebody could get this rolling in my community, I'd help out. Okay, I'm depending on
others,here. Maybe I should help get this rolling? It has to start somewhere. This is
invaluable.
2 months ago 8 Likes
Like Share
MsEnglish
Rural communities in E. Ontario have monthly Diner's Club lunches, usually run by the
local Community Care office ... but you have to get yourself there, it's pay-as-you-go and
http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/lonely-seniors-forge-friendships-through-little-brothers-campaign-1.2435073[2014-01-31 09:48:31]
Lonely seniors forge friendships through 'little brothers' campaign - Health - CBC News
you're on your own as far as making friends or finding a Little Brother/Sister. This sounds
better.
2 months ago 3 Likes
Like Share
D. MacGuinn
“Our commitment is to take care of them to the end. That also means after,” says
Nathalie.
___________________________________
Fantastic program. Would that there were other ways to integrate these human treasures
more meaningfully into our society, which now more than ever needs all the wisdom it can
find.
2 months ago 9 Likes
Like Share
newslistener1
@D. MacGuinn
A very eloquent statement....
2 months ago 1 Like
Like Share
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