Wexford siblings launch nonprofit, website that gets to the heart of issues affecting senior citizens

Hannah and Joseph Shin weren’t looking to use technology when they decided to find a way to inform and entertain senior citizens.

But the North Allegheny senior and her 20-year-old brother, who is pursuing a pre-med track at the University of Pittsburgh, knew that whatever they did, it had to be tailor-made to their target audience.

“My brother and I have always been very close with our grandmother, and we have volunteered in several different nursing homes,” Hannah Shin said. “Those experiences made us realize how much we love interacting with senior citizens and how much joy we could bring to them.”

While brainstorming for ways to shine light on the issues and barriers faced by senior citizens — and how young people can help address them — the Wexford siblings decided to launch a platform in 2019 “that cherishes our seniors and emphasizes how much they want to do and how much we can do for them,” Shin said.

“We didn’t want to create something that already existed,” she said. “But we found that a lot of the organizations that do exist focus on in-person volunteering or deal specifically with nursing homes.

“We’ve always viewed senior citizens as real-live superheroes, so we wanted to address the cultural narrative, the overall story of how they are viewed, talked about and treated in today’s world.”

To do that, the pair created the nonprofit Elderly Embrace Care Network.

The foundation for the organization is built off Shin’s research into the medical, cultural and institutional issues affecting the elderly population and Joseph Shin’s studies in preparation for a career in geriatric medicine.

“The elderly community has always held a very special place in my heart,” he said. “Caring for my grandma, who I have been living with for the past four years, and serving seniors at nursing homes and a UPMC hospital has shown me just how much I love our elderly community. This love is what propelled me to create EECN.”

Shin said his work with the organization has increased his desire to advocate on behalf of senior citizens.

“Through all of the programs we work on for this organization that has become my second home, especially our podcast and youth education series, I have come to appreciate and admire seniors even more,” he said.

The Shins live with their 80-year-old grandmother, Kyong Hyun, a native of South Korea and their go-to consultant on senior issues.

The Network is operated by an all-volunteer team.

To help create a bridge between senior citizens and young people, the network features a blog segment about understanding “Generation Z.”

“Seniors wonder about what young people are interested in, so we talk about youth culture, fashion and other things,” Hannah Shin said. “We also have a nostalgia playlist and a joke section and other fun things.”

The organization’s articles and other content are on the Silver Bridge blog, which contains entries about culture, health, technology and global issues faced by seniors.