Wanted: WA Locals for New Pen Pal Program

Not-for-profit aged care home Mercy Place Mont Clare is appealing to locals who would like to revive the long lost art of letter writing.

The Claremont-based home is seeking to develop a network of pen pals in the local community to correspond with their elderly residents.

Mercy Place Mont Clare Service Manager, Joan Lowney, explains that while the home has increased the range of one-to-one activities for residents during this challenging time, the new pen pal program would bring an added dimension to the seniors’ lives.

"We all remember the joy of going to the letterbox and receiving a letter from a friend, and then taking the time to write back. This is particularly relevant for our elderly residents who had pen pals when they were younger and we would love to give them the opportunity to rebuild or expand their social networks during this time, Ms Lowney says.

“And so we are appealing to those in the local community who would like to re-discover the joy of letter writing to contact us, as we would love to put them in touch with one of our residents who would be keen to connect with a new pen pal and enjoy hearing their news and learning a little about their life.

“Those who are interested may be young or old, we really don’t have a preference as we know our residents will just love receiving a handwritten letter, perhaps for the first time in many years.”

People wanting to become a pen pal for a Mercy Place Mont Clare resident can email nrana@mercy.com.au

All residents’ correspondence is thoroughly sanitised as part of the strict measures in place within the home. In addition, the Home’s local men’s club has recently built a special letter box for residents to post and receive their mail.

Find out more about Mercy Health.