Making a difference for a senior in isolation can be as simple as having a cup of coffee, according to a new campaign called "On sort-tu?" or "Are we going out?" in English.

Sixty events are being held across the province this week. People are invited to come have a cup of coffee and spend some quality time with the seniors in their lives.

"The coffee is just a pretext for enjoying a good time with an elder," said Caroline Sauriol, the executive director of Little Brothers, a non-profit organization that works to fight senior isolation, at the kickoff event that was being in Montreal's Complexe Desjardins.

She said the campaign is intended to create a movement to make people more aware of the issue.

"This is a cheerful event. It's a fun moment that you can take time to reflect on the fact that too many people are isolated, too many people are forgotten," she said.

One of the hundreds of people who attended the event on Saturday at Complexe Desjardins was 94-year-old Lorette Legaré. She says she went through a dark period of severe isolation.

"Solitude is a sickness, I think," Legaré said. "It's very important for old people. You can die from that."

Isolation can lead to serious mental health issues for seniors, Sauriol said, but it can also affect their physical wellbeing.

"Your autonomy really decreases when you have no one around you," Sauriol said. "Having people in your life brings energy."

She said the will and desire to pursue and have fun in your life also comes with that.

Legaré said she knows firsthand the benefits of a day like this.

"It began to be shiny," she said. "Now it's my second life, one that is marvelous."