One of Vermont's oldest and largest social service agencies serving elders has opportunities for volunteers interested in providing home visits and fellowship for elderly, home-bound clients and social service application assistance.
Opportunities in Senior Solutions' 47-town region in southern Vermont include the Friendly Visitor program, where volunteers meet with isolated elders in their homes to provide companionship, take them to places in the community, or assist with errands.
Volunteers may also be trained to conduct home visits to help screen people for program and benefit eligibility.
Additionally, there is a need for a Medicare Assistance Volunteer for the State Health Insurance Assistance Program. This position educates and assists people with understanding Medicare.
Volunteers undergo free training in Medicare and health insurance in order to aid and counsel Medicare eligible individuals. They assist and provide information on the often confusing Medicare system.
In a news release, Senior Solutions Executive Director Carol Stamatakis noted that volunteering is often just as beneficial to the person providing the service as the clients receiving it.
“Volunteers in the program know they're really helping someone and that is a great feeling,” Stamatakis said. “It truly makes a difference in the lives of everyone involved.”
Senior Solutions also offers many one-time, occasional, or highly flexible opportunities. Volunteers can be placed on a list to be contacted when a need arises. There is no ongoing commitment or obligation.
Activities can include hosting an information table, helping to plan or volunteer at a fundraising event, taking photographs, giving someone a ride to an appointment, or putting up posters or flyers at libraries and other public bulletin boards.
Volunteers receive orientation and training, mileage reimbursement, and ongoing support. Those who meet the criteria for our Senior Companion Program may also be eligible for a tax-free stipend of $2.65 for each volunteer hour.
Senior Solutions is one of five nonprofit area Agencies on Aging in Vermont. Known for many years as the Council on Aging for Southeastern Vermont, Senior Solutions has provided Older Americans Act and other services to Vermonters 60 years and older, and their caregivers and families, for more than 40 years.