Volunteering is good for your health according to a report published by the Corporation for National and Community Service. Older people who volunteer live longer, have higher functionality and lower rates of heart disease and depression. Volunteering makes you feel good. Feeling good makes you happy. Feeling happy is good for what ails you. There are many places to volunteer right here in Kootenai County that make you feel good.

The Volunteer Ombudsman Program at the Area Agency on Aging invites you to become an assistant ombudsmen. Ombudsmen visit long term care facilities, observe the environment and help solve problems for the residents that live there. They are the voices for those who feel powerless or are unable to speak up for themselves.

Living in a facility engenders a sense of powerlessness in people. Residents are thrust into a new environment with rules not of their own making. They give up freedom and independence, relationships, community interaction, and mobility. The sense of self can get lost in the shuffle and may bring on disorientation, depression and hopelessness.

The elders living in facilities can no longer live safely on their own. Residents may not have the mobility, health or energy to solve their own problems. Solving a problem may seem too difficult or confusing. Often they're fearful of upsetting the caregivers or being labeled a complainer. An ombudsman becomes the trusted voice to speak for them.

How does being an ombudsman make you feel good? Here's what current ombudsmen say. Ray Kolts says volunteering as an ombudsman is payback for all the good things that have happened in his life. Joyce and Bill Barr feel good helping people that can't help themselves. Martin Peterson says he loves the people and they love him and it's a rewarding way to spend his time.

John and Marilyn Fisher know they're being helpful to seniors who need them. Susan Harper says helping the elderly is the highlight of her week. Dan McDermott knows he's helping the residents feel more comfortable living in a facility.

Fran Ray feels good that the residents know someone cares about them. Tammy Wall says it's rewarding to know she's helping vulnerable elders. Patricia Benjamin gets satisfaction from making it her mission to help vulnerable elders. It's a gift she can give.

Ombudsmen regularly visit facilities, build rapport and trust, take the resident's feelings and concerns seriously, and help create avenues for solving problems. Just the presence of an ombudsman in a facility can make a difference in the quality of life there. Each time a problem is solved, each time a resident's rights are protected, and each time a positive change is made, the resident feels stronger and her quality of life has been enhanced.

Join our team of ombudsman. Make a difference. Feel great. A new training start Sept. 11 at the Area Agency on Aging, 2120 Lakewood Drive in Coeur d'Alene. For more information contact Jan Noyes at 667-3179 Ext. 243 or [email protected].