Vancouver group tackles loneliness, language barriers through conversation
VANCOUVER — Amie Peacock describes her mother as “a social butterfly,” but when she came to visit her in Vancouver from the Philippines a lack of friends and a language barrier left her miserable and lonely.
“I couldn’t imagine there are more people like her in our city and, sure enough, when I started looking at the cause and effects of social isolation, I realized that the problem is so much greater than what I had imagined,” Peacock said.
Although her mother ended up leaving six months after arriving in 2001, Peacock resolved to tackle the issue.
“To me, social isolation can affect rich, poor, young or old,” she said.