They’re Called “Happy to Chat” Benches
Loneliness is a big problem for elderly people around the globe. Study after study finds that people who are socially isolated have negative physical and mental health outcomes. What’s the solution? One police department in the United Kingdom decided to install a “chat bench” in town for people who don’t mind strangers stopping to say hello.
The benches are called the “Happy to Chat” benches, and British police estimate there’s about 40 of them throughout the United Kingdom.
“Have you seen our ‘Chat Bench’ in Burnham or Taunton?” the Avon and Somerset Police Department tweeted. “To help us tackle loneliness and isolation in the community we have introduced a ‘Chat Bench’ in Vivary Park in Taunton and also on Burnham Sea Front. Simply stopping to say ‘hello’ to someone at the ‘Chat Bench’ could make a huge difference to the vulnerable people in our communities and help to make life a little better for them.”
Detective Sargeant Ashley Jones, who has been on the police force for two decades, decided to install the bench after he talked to an elderly woman who had sent a scammer $31,000 because he called her house daily and pretended to be her friend. The elderly woman told Jones she would go weeks without talking to another person, which was why she was vulnerable to the scam.
“Chat benches” are making their way to the U.S. The town of Prineville, Oregon, has several scattered around the city.
-
Deportation Deadline Sparks Humanitarian Worries in Pakistan Pakistan’s government announced on Monday that almost 200,000 Afghan nationals have voluntarily...
-
Lessons Learned Shape Taiwan’s Preparedness in a Changing World Taiwan’s military has embarked on a comprehensive initiative to strengthen...
-
White House Reveals Disturbing Executions and Threats in Conflict The White House has disclosed deeply concerning information regarding the...
-
Military Exercises Coincide with Treaty Developments Amid Global Concerns Russia recently executed a large-scale military exercise to rehearse its...
-
Company Addresses Auto-Translation Error Impacting Palestinian Users Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has issued a formal apology for...
-
China’s Ambitious Plans to Double Its Nuclear Warhead Stockpile Highlighted in Pentagon’s Annual Report The annual report released by...
-
Strengthening Partnerships and Providing Support in Challenging Times In a collaborative effort between the U.S. Congress and the White...
-
Humza Yousaf Extends Support and Sanctuary Amidst Gaza Conflict Humza Yousaf, the First Minister of Scotland, has extended a...
-
U.S. Stresses Peace and Humanitarian Aid in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict In an exclusive interview aired on Sunday, President Joe Biden...
-
Urgent Call for Aid as Communities Reel from Tremors The western province of Herat in Afghanistan has been rocked...
-
Calls for Peace Amid Diverse Perspectives on Ongoing Crisis In response to a series of recent demonstrations across Canada,...
-
Celebrity Voices in the Israel-Palestine Dialogue In the midst of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict, a group of celebrities has...