I would have to agree with my co-presenter here, Holly. Often people are isolated, as Holly mentioned, not only because of being an elder or a senior in our community, but because they have a disability that does not enable them to be as engaged in the community as they would like to be. Having a mail carrier—someone to whom they can relate, someone with whom they can connect on a daily basis—creates a sense of belonging in the community and also creates a sense of “I matter”. That's very important for someone who has a disability or diverse disabilities, and not only the physical aspect of a disability, but mental illness and cognitive or intellectual impairment.
We promote independence in our community and we want people to be able to live independently as long as possible, and having those connections is very important.