VOLUNTEER AT A SENIORS' CENTER

Are you a friendly and caring person? Do you like older people?

Then you might enjoy volunteering your time at a seniors' center!

Why are volunteers needed? Seniors' centers provide shelter and food for old people - in other words, the basics. But life is much more than the basics!

Many older people in seniors' homes suffer from loneliness and boredom. Some people don't have kids or grandkids to visit them. Even if they do, these young family members have their own lives, and they can't always be there to keep grandma and grandpa company. With only other old faces to look at, life can become pretty grim, even if seniors' basic needs are well-cared-for.

You can bring sunshine and inspiration to older people in seniors' homes, just by sharing your friendship with them!

Being around young people is invigorating to seniors. The energy and positivity of a youthful friendship, can stir up happy memories of their own youth, and make them feel young again. Knowing that a young person is interested in them, and enjoys their company, can give a senior the inspiration to stay healthy and positive.

Volunteer your time with the elderly in a nursing home, and you can make a huge difference in the quality of their lives!

What Do Volunteers Do?

Many senior citizen centers offer volunteer programs to provide friendship and community activities to senior citizens. As a volunteer, you might spend time talking and listening to seniors, reading aloud to blind or low-vision seniors, helping write letters, doing art projects, participating in sing-alongs, delivering mail, setting up the dining room, pushing wheelchairs, playing checkers or cards, doing puzzles, or even doing office work.

How to Get Started

Interested in volunteering at a seniors' home? Look in the phone book or Yellow Pages, under "Nursing Homes", "Retirement Communities" or "Senior Citizens Centers." Just phone and ask to speak to the activities director, or the volunteer coordinator, to find out what kinds of volunteer programs they have available.