Community Services
8. Senior Companion Program
Through this program, volunteers visit and provide supportive services such as household chores to frail older adults, adults with disabilities, and those with terminal illnesses, while offering respite for regular caregivers.
Volunteers work where needed: private homes, skilled nursing facilities, health care agencies, adult day care centers, nutrition sites, multipurpose senior centers, and other facilities that serve the elderly.
Their services include:
- Reporting clients' physical or emotional changes tor potential health problems to a care management team, doctor, family member, or other caregiver;
- Offering companionship and friendship to isolated adults;
- Assisting with simple chores, including grocery shopping and preparing meals;
- Reading to the visually impaired;
- Preparing correspondence for the physically challenged; and
- Providing transportation to medical and other appointments.
Volunteers, who must be at least 60 years old and meet low-income limits, also benefit by receiving:
- Periodic training sessions;
- Reimbursement for transportation;
- Some meals during service;
- An annual physical;
- Accident and liability insurance while on duty; and
- A modest, tax-free stipend to offset the cost of volunteering.
For more information, see the California Department of Aging's Senior Companion Program.
