A coordinator has been hired for the Coast's Better At Home program and she's seeking volunteers in order to launch the first phase of the program this July.
"We're looking for people who are interested in friendly visiting, are willing to drive seniors to appointments or maybe to an outing, to get them out," coordinator Darlene LaRose said. "We're trying to conquer isolation, especially at the tip of our Coast where people are a lot more isolated than we are here in Sechelt."
Better At Home is an initiative of the Lower Mainland United Way that links volunteers and professionals with seniors in need to provide simple, non-medical support services.
Sunshine Coast Com-munity Services Society (SCCSS) was awarded the contract to oversee a Better At Home program on the Coast as a pilot project for two years.
The society's hope is that the program will prove its merit and warrant sustained funding after the pilot project ends.
LaRose was hired in March to coordinate the project, and after looking into the best practices of other areas and assembling a local advisory committee, she is now ready to round up volunteers.
The beginning of the Better At Home program on the Coast will focus on volunteer supports like friendly visiting, driving and grocery shopping with seniors.
In the fall LaRose hopes to expand the program to include light housekeeping and yard work done by professionals, which would be paid for by seniors on a sliding scale.
For now, volunteers with any amount of time to give and a passion for seniors are needed to get Better At Home off the ground.
LaRose already has 21 seniors on a waiting list for the services volunteers will ultimately provide, and just seven volunteers signed up to help.
If you want to volunteer, contact LaRose at 604-885-2644 or email [email protected].
All volunteers must pass a criminal records check and undergo training through SCCSS before they can work with seniors.
