Mental health help, as many know, isn’t always as readily available as it could be. There are often roadblocks, whether it’s lack of funds, issues with insurance, or merely a stigma about getting help in the first place. This can be deeply frustrating and, for some, even dissuade them from seeking assistance.

In 2006, Dr. Dixon Chibanda, a Zimbabwean psychiatrist, came up with a plan to make it easier to get help. He set up what’s known as a “Friendship Bench,” where elderly volunteers lend a friendly ear on benches, filling in as makeshift “grandparents.” In 2024, nearly 20 years later, Washington, D.C., adopted the same idea. It’s still going strong.

View this post on Instagram

Friendship benches around the world

Friendship Bench DC, which was modeled after the original, was brought to the U.S. by HelpAge USA. It is part of the larger HelpAge Global network, which describes itself as “working with more than........

© Upworthy