USA: Volunteering is Another Way to Help the Elderly

DeSoto, Florida (DeSoto Sun-Herald) August 13, 2006: A couple weeks ago we discussed why we need to help the elderly. Today, let me give you another way in which to help. If you're a young stay-at-home mother who will be feeling a bit lonely now that the kids are heading back to school, perhaps you could squeeze out a couple hours a week and reap the feel-good-about-yourself experience that our volunteers are accustomed to feeling. For anyone who has a little free time on his hands, we are always in need of year-round volunteers at the center to help with our home-delivered meal program for the frail elderly of DeSoto County. It takes a only couple of hours a week to bring a little sunshine into the lives of our elderly -- along with a hot, nutritious meal. Volunteer drivers furnish their own cars and we reimburse them 44.5 cents per mile for gas. All routes are basically in-town driving and the longest is about ten miles. Most routes have no more than 15 meals to deliver. You leave the Center at 10:30 a.m. and are back well before noon. We will not send you out cold turkey either. A trained driver will take you on the route for a few days until you're comfortable going it alone. Volunteers could be husband and wife teams. Or, perhaps, you have a friend you would like to spend some time with and at the same time help our elderly. However one person can handle the route alone without a partner. The rewards of volunteering are, as the ad says, priceless. No paycheck can compare to the feeling you'll receive knowing you are helping others. For many of our clients, our driver is the only person they see all day. Imagine yourself homebound with no one to stop by or check up on you -- It's a very lonely feeling. And it can be eased with just a couple minutes of your time. Your friendly "hello" and bright smile will bring more warmth and sunshine into an elderly person's life than you will ever know. Volunteer -- make a difference in someone's life -- especially your own. By Karen Blanchette. Karen Blanchette is Director for Senior Friendship Centers of DeSoto County. © 2006 All rights reserved. Sun Coast Media Group Inc.