Ask the volunteer coordinators how you can help address issues you see impacting the daily life of those living at the home, on top of your regular volunteering. If you have a friendly dog or cat, ask if the home participates in an animal visitation program. Animal visitation programs aim to provide comfort and happiness to senior home residents.
Household chores and heavy lifting can be particularly difficult for some seniors. Offer to perform basic home maintenance, such as cleaning out the gutters or making basic repairs to fixtures and appliances. Consider working with a program that delivers meals or provides in-home visits for elderly individuals in your area. This helps seniors who cannot access a home or who wish to live independently to still get the care they need.
Check course listing at your local community centers or community colleges to see if senior first aid and emergency care classes are offered. Talk to a local senior center to find resources for learning about senior care. Try to learn about the physical, social, emotional, and mental health of the elderly in order to advocate effectively and address issues impacting seniors. If you receive extensive first aid training, consider signing up as a community first responder (specializing in elder care) with your local hospital. Attend seminars and workshops at healthcare events that are specifically focused on elder care.
Volunteer with a local group dedicated to providing senior technological literacy courses. You may also be able to volunteer as a guide or lab monitor at your local senior center or community center. Ask the seniors you work with, “What are you goals when you go online?” so that you can provide specific guidance. If, for example, their main motivation is to communicate with family, you do not need to confuse them by also teaching them to pay their bills online.
Invite the elderly to speak about their concerns. Hearing the details of an older adult’s health concerns, transportation issues or financial difficulties might inspire compassion and solutions from local residents. Advertise the event to local senior care, health care, and other community activists and organization groups. Present the event as a chance to meet with seniors in the community in order to understand their needs. Increase attendance at your community events by providing transportation for older adults who might not be able to attend otherwise.
Inform the elderly about elder rights, local services and community activities that will help them to overcome loneliness, boredom and feelings of helplessness. Encourage elderly readers to share concerns and challenges that may be going unheard. Also work on content dedicated to individuals trying to help the elderly. Provide useful links to resources such as local advocacy groups, pages about what to do in cases of elder abuse, and volunteer organizations.
Find community groups by contacting local senior communities or AARP to get recommendations. Volunteer not only by attending meetings but by also distributing information in your neighborhood and around your community. Make time to participate in local events, as well.
Work on a local level to promote or draft protective legislation that creates access to necessary services in your community. Host public awareness events that encourage the community to work to protect elderly citizens. Push for programs that connect older members of your community with resources that can help them medically, legally, and financially.
You may want to start a whole letter writing campaign to get more support behind the message. With proper permission and permits, set up a table at your local community center to help others draft and send in letters. [9] X Research source Provide pre-written letters that individuals can read and sign, along with addressed and stamped envelopes and a collections box so that you can take the letters in all at once.
Prepare materials in advance to distribute to the public advocating for senior issues. Include information in how people can get involved, such as writing to their congressional representative or voting on certain measures. Keep your protest structured and peaceful. The focus should be on the message, not on causing a public scene.
Understand that most forms of elder care will require some sort of training. Look into the requirements for the field of elder advocacy that interests you and see if it is feasible for you to accomplish with your schedule and personal finances. Talk to professionals in different fields of elder advocacy and ask them, “What kind of training did you need for this job? What did the training prepare you for and what did it not cover?”
Enroll in a patient advocacy certification program to learn about medical programs relevant to seniors and the type of specialized care necessary for the elderly. Patient advocacy training will also teach you how to work with medical professionals to make sure patient needs are met.
If possible, opt for employment within the elder care community. Third party contracting may be costly for elderly citizens, and may only be accessible for some. Consider non-traditional jobs such as those working with your local government or for a non-profit organization, as well as those directly within senior communities.
