At Neighbors Who Care, we aim to help those homebound elderly remain independent in their homes for up to five years longer. Battling isolation is one way our volunteers can help those who can no longer move about the community gain a better quality of life and relieve the loneliness that often accompanies living alone.
The great news is, this volunteer opportunity does not require any special skills. The only requirement is the willingness to establish a one-on-one relationship with another person and be at ease with visiting and having a conversation in a client’s home. To make the program work correctly, the visitor/volunteer is asked to visit weekly to establish a rapport. If you enjoy chatting and getting to know someone, Friendly Visiting might be just what you’re looking for. Here’s how it works:
1. Neighbors Who Care matches a volunteer to one of our clients. We match men with men, and women with women.
2. Once you are matched, we provide you information about the client, such as where the client comes from, what their interests are, some information about the client’s health condition, and how they like spending their time now and what they enjoyed when they were more mobile, as well as their contact information.
3. Next, you reach out to the client and introduce yourself and make a mutually-agreed upon time to get together.
We ask our Friendly Visitor volunteers to notify our office if, during a visit, you notice any significant changes or problems, such as issues with the client’s physical or emotional demeanor or any signs they are being victimized in any way. And, lastly, we ask you to report your visit to us and indicate how long you were there and how many miles you drove to reach them.
If you think you would enjoy becoming a Friendly Visitor, contact our office. We can help you through our onboarding process and get you all set up. Call 480-895-7133 or email [email protected].