Volunteering to Help Seniors

drawing of young man helping a senior with a walker Volunteering to help senior citizens can be just as beneficial for you as it is for the people you decide to help. There are many ways to help the elderly, from volunteering to play games or do activities with them to becoming a caregiver. There’s no need to wait until the “giving times” of the year such as the Christmas/Holiday Season or International Volunteer Day. Though these times help bring an awareness to the need for volunteers, it is important to remember seniors appreciate help year-round. If you don’t have the time to volunteer, there are many organizations that help seniors that would be more than happy to receive your donation to help them continue their work.

Here we’ve compiled a list of ideas of how you can contribute your time or efforts towards helping our senior citizens.

Visit an assisted living facility

With the ever changing COVID-19 protocols, it is best to call the facility you plan on visiting before you arrive to make sure that they are accepting volunteers. If you are able to enter into the facility; some activities to bring with you could be; board games, puzzles, a care package, adult coloring books with markers or crayons, or a movie. You could also bring a meal to share or other edible goodies (just be sure to check on any dietary restrictions before hand). Some people living in assisted living facilities don’t get many visitors, so whether it’s a relative, neighbor, or new friend, a visit from you will be greatly appreciated and meaningful.

Volunteer at local organizations aimed at helping seniors

If you are unable to visit a facility, there are many other organizations you can volunteer with, whose sole purpose is to help make seniors’ lives better. Here in Arkansas, we have several of those organizations who work hard to take care of our elders and they always need volunteers to continue their work.

Carelink is “the Area Agency on Aging for Central Arkansas, [and] is a nonprofit agency providing resources for older people and their families.” Carelink has many avenues for people looking to volunteer; from their Meal on Wheels program that delivers meals to seniors, to their Ombudsman program that trains volunteers to be advocates for seniors living in long-term care facilities to protect their rights and ensure that their issues are heard and resolved.
In Hot Spring, AR we have The Caring Place Hot Springs, a 501 non-profit corporation that provides social and recreational activities and nutritional meals and snacks for seniors in Hot Springs, as well as caregiver support groups for family caregivers. Their volunteers help with anything from playing dominos to assisting in the dining area.
In Maumelle, AR, we have the Maumelle Center on the Lake, a city-run facility whose goal is to allow the residents of Maumelle to “age in place” by offering educational health classes, fitness classes, finance classes, field trips and more to their members. This facility relies heavily on their volunteers
If you live outside of these areas or outside of Arkansas, The National Center on Aging, is a great resource to find where help is needed in any area in the United States. You can search their Map of Partners and Programs to find organizations who match your volunteer interests.

Volunteering to help our Veterans

Though veterans aren’t always senior citizens, many of them are. There are many organizations who work hard to help veterans and their families. Here are a few organizations looking for volunteers and donations for veterans.

Wounded Warrior Project: They offer many opportunities for people looking to get involved, host a fundraiser or simply participate in one. “Whether you’re looking to spend time or money helping those who’ve served us, you can find a way to get involved.”
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW): They offer volunteer opportunities that will align with any interests; “such as sports and recreation, social work, arts and music, personal assistance, writing, chapel services, companionship, transportation and escort services and so much more.” They are also always appreciative of donations that go towards programs that “support our service members while they are on the front line, as they are being discharged and even long after they have returned home.”
Veterans Matter: This organization works in partnership with the VA to cover the deposit and first month’s rent for a veteran in need to keep them off the streets. They are not government funded and rely solely on donations and have been successful at housing over 5,000 veterans in 28 states.

Donate

It’s not always possible to volunteer your time, but it is still possible to help our elders by giving money to the organizations who are already working to improve their lives. All of the organizations mentioned above will accept donations.

You can also connect your Amazon account to the organization of your choosing, by logging into smile.amazon.com and selecting the organization you want to donate to, before making your order. 0.5% of your eligible purchases on Amazon will go to the charity of your choice.
Facebook now allows people to put a button on their profile to encourage friends to donate to a charity of choice. Go to this link to learn how to add a button to your profile. facebook.com/help/269698566852985

Resources:

Carelink

-Give: https://www.carelink.org/give/

-Meals on Wheels: https://www.carelink.org/volunteer/meals-on-wheels/

-Ombudsman: https://www.carelink.org/volunteer/ombudsman/

Love for our elders: https://loveforourelders.org/letters

The Caring Place HS: https://www.thecaringplacehotsprings.com/

Maumelle Center on the Lake: https://www.maumelle.org/552/Volunteer-Information

To find other ways to get involved outside of AR: https://www.ncoa.org/get-involved https://www.ncoa.org/ncoa-map

Veterans:

Wounded Warrior Project (Veterans) : https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/give-back

Veterans of Foreign Wars: