Role and Value of Senior Companions in their Communitites

摘要

The Senior Companion Program (SCP) provides grants to qualified agencies andorganizations for the dual purposes of engaging persons 60 and older, particularly those with limited incomes, in volunteer service to meet critical community needs and providing a high quality experience that will enrich the lives of the volunteers. The three main goals of the program are to: (1) enable low-income persons aged 60 and over to remain physically and mentally active and to enhance their self-esteem through continued participation in needed community services; (2) provide supportive services to adults with physical, emotional, or mental health limitations, especially older persons, in an effort to achieve and maintain their highest level of independent living; (3) provide a stipend and other benefits, which enable eligible persons to participate as Senior Companions without cost to themselves. The Senior Companions serve an average of 20 hours a week, and they generally visit between two and three clients apiece. The volunteers receive a small tax-free stipend for their service, along with insurance and certain other benefits. The clients they serve are primarily homebound elderly people in frail health, most of whom live alone. The Senior Companions also visit clients with mental and developmental disabilities. In some cases the companions assist clients in a group setting, such as a nutrition site or an adult day care center. For the most part, however, they visit clients in their homes.