Companions provide daily help for senior citizens
Hospital's former patients are eligible
When senior citizens are discharged to their homes from West Georgia Health System in LaGrange, they may be visited daily by a volunteer who helps with activities of daily living and makes sure they take their medicine.
The hospital has two programs that provide companionship for senior citizens: Senior Companion Services and AmeriCorps. Both programs are funded in part by grants from the Corporation for National Service. Participants in the Senior Companion program must be over age 60 and meet income guidelines. They receive a small stipend.
The AmeriCorps program participants don't have to meet age or income requirements. In addition to a stipend, volunteers receive an educational grant at the end of their service.
The goal of both programs is to keep senior citizens out of long-term care facilities, says Susan Burdick, director of volunteer services for West Georgia Health System.
The volunteers go through 40 hours of orientation, where they are trained in fire safety, emergency procedures, and compassion for the elderly. They attend a monthly inservice training program to continue their education.
They are expected to stay in the senior citizens' homes four hours a day, five days a week. The hospital provides a meal ticket so the volunteers can eat in the hospital cafeteria and will provide transportation from the volunteers' homes to the clients' homes.
The health system has 52 Senior Companions with a waiting list of people who want to participate, Burdick says. "We don't have to recruit. They find out by word of mouth," she adds.
The hospital receives referrals for clients who need companions from home health agencies, social service agencies, physicians, and the county's emergency response program.
The volunteer training course was developed at the hospital in conjunction with the grant application. The 40-hour training course is taught by members of the hospital staff. Participants go through training for a week, then are paired with an experienced volunteer for 40 hours before going out on their own.
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