SENIORS: Agency calls for volunteers

Friends for Seniors Needed:

The word is getting out on the Retired & Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) Friendship Corps at the Area Agency on Aging of North Idaho!

The Friendship Corps Program has been extremely successful, and has more than doubled the number of volunteers and clients in the past 12 months. We now have 31 compassionate and caring RSVP Friendship Corps Volunteers serving 36 home-bound seniors, and seniors living in long-term care facilities. We currently have 12 seniors on a waiting list who want friendly visits.

The need in our community is great. Lack of access to friends and family can lead to loneliness and isolation. There are many seniors living among us who need a friend to bring some joy back into their lives. A regular visitor makes a big difference in a lonely person’s life! The Friendship Corps is a team of compassionate and caring volunteers that visits seniors in their homes and in long-term care facilities. A friendly visitor offers companionship, emotional support and information about community services available when needed. A smiling, familiar face can turn someone’s life around.

The volunteers get as much value from their new friend as the client does. Volunteering for such a worthy cause is a heartwarming and satisfying experience.

The commitment is very small and flexible. As a guide, we ask our volunteers to visit their friends a minimum of two hours every two weeks. But it is really up to the volunteer and their friend as to how often and how long they visit with each other. There will also be training for new volunteers, and the training schedule is flexible to meet the needs of the volunteers.

If you are at least 55 years of age and have a place in your heart for seniors, please contact Dave Hoover, 667-3179 ext. 227, or [email protected] for more information.

DAVE HOOVER

VISTA-RSVP Friendship Corps Volunteer Specialist

Area Agency on Aging of North Idaho