Friendly Voices - Avenidas - Free Phone Buddies for Seniors 60+

Friendly Voices — now part of Avenidas, a nonprofit devoted to older adults since 1969 — exists to brighten days and reduce loneliness. The program provides a vital human connection for isolated seniors age 60+ in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, one weekly phone call at a time.

What to Expect

Each senior is matched one-to-one with their own trained volunteer phone buddy for ongoing personal connection over many months of weekly conversations. Volunteers are trained in friendly conversation, supportive listening, and confidentiality, and Cantonese-, Hindi-, or Mandarin-speaking volunteers are available upon request. The program’s role stays deliberately neutral, warm, and friendly: volunteers don’t diagnose, and conversations steer clear of political and religious debate. All volunteers are screened, trained, and supervised, all calls are documented, and every conversation is confidential.

Who This Is For

Adults 60 and older who are isolated or simply miss having someone to talk to — particularly elders in the Bay Area, though the phone-based model reaches beyond it. Family members and care professionals can refer a senior who would enjoy a weekly call.

Why a Phone Buddy Works

Group settings aren’t for everyone. A consistent one-to-one match builds something rarer: a real, developing friendship with the same person week after week. For elders facing hearing loss, mobility limits, or social anxiety, a scheduled call from a familiar voice is connection without logistics — and the months-long continuity is what turns contact into companionship.

How to Connect

Sign up — or refer a senior — through friendlyvoices.org. The service is volunteer-powered and provided at no charge; safety and privacy of each senior are the program’s stated priority.