Our Mission
To change the narrative around aging.
About Us
Create Circles is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on addressing older adult loneliness. We pair older adults at home, in retirement communities, and long-term care with trained student volunteers provide more than companionship; they help craft a sense of purpose. With volunteers from all across the United States, we’re growing quickly, but so is the need.
A Better Future
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Our Why
We adamantly believe that no one should have to age alone. Our older adults have spent their entire lives serving their community, but oftentimes, we push them into the margins as they grow older. As the growing pool of research on the impact of loneliness grows, it becomes clear that we are just helping older adults live more meaningful lives, but also combatting a wide range of physical, mental, and psychosocial health challenges.
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Our Approach
If students epitomize energy and enthusiasm, then why not introduce them to older adults who have so much to share? Throughout our training, we reinforce the idea that volunteers are not simply there to help the older adults, but rather, this is a bi-directional relationship where both individuals are learning and sharing. If ageism is based on the premise that older adults do not have much to contribute to their communities, then we hope to show through our shared projects how much older adults can shine with the correct resources and relationships.
Our Curriculum
Therefore, we have crafted an evidence-based curriculum to train our volunteers so that they address loneliness at a deeper level. By using shared interests as a basis for creating a project like a cookbook, our volunteer and older adult pairs develop an extremely strong bond. By consistently having something to look forward to and think about, our pairs truly create something they can share between themselves and with the rest of their community.
Always Innovating
In 2020, we published a book to help families better engage with their loved ones. Rather than just asking their elderly loved ones how they feel, what they ahve done, and what they ate, this workbook pushes to engage in memories that may have been forgotten. This trip down memory lane also helps our volunteer and older adult pairs dive into meaningful stories and conversations.
We cannot end loneliness through companionship. We must help older adults in our communities craft a deep sense of purpose.Harsh Moolani President
