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Call a Boomer Payphone Links Boston Students to Reno Seniors in Monthlong Pilot

The project tests a low-tech approach to loneliness by prompting spontaneous chats across generations.

Overview

  • A refurbished payphone outside Pavement Coffeehouse at 736 Commonwealth Ave. near Boston University automatically connects to a lobby phone at Sierra Manor, a senior housing site in Reno.
  • Calls are free, and if no one answers in Reno, Boston callers can leave voicemails.
  • Matter Neuroscience is recording conversations and plans to post selected highlights on its social media channels.
  • The Brookline placement is hosted for one month while organizers evaluate usage to decide on any extension.
  • Earlier deployments in San Francisco and Abilene generated more than 250 conversations and 350 voicemails, with this pairing focused on intergenerational connection.