Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly, Chicago Chapter, hosted its first-ever End Loneliness Symposium 2019 on November 8, 2019, at LBFE’s Ashland Avenue building. The daylong Symposium brought together 118 attendees, including experts and practitioners in the field of aging, along with LBFE volunteers, donors, and staff.
The aim of the Symposium was to examine the impact of elder loneliness and explore ways to draw on community for solutions to this major global problem. The Symposium served as the kickoff event for LBFE’s 60th anniversary year and an opportunity to advance Little Brothers’ thought leadership on the global problem of ending elder loneliness and isolation.
“Our mission is not only to bring friendship to lonely and isolated elders, but also to champion awareness and actively contribute our proven expertise with elders to meet the universal challenge to end loneliness,” says Simone Mitchell-Peterson, CEO of Little Brothers and host of the Symposium.
Michael Melinger, LBFE’s Chair of the Board, said to Symposium attendees: “What we are doing with this Symposium is groundbreaking. Together, we will learn, share, and contribute to the collective knowledge about the serious problem of elder loneliness. Together, we will think about, analyze, and recognize solutions to alleviate loneliness and isolation among our elders.”
The Symposium was generously sponsored by the Alvin H. Baum Family Fund.
Learn more about the End Loneliness Symposium program and speakers.
