Alamo Today - November 2008 Edition

Eighty-year-old Bonita always looked forward to her daily 8:00am phone call from her Reassurance Phone Friend volunteer. But the morning after she had fallen in her backyard, where she lain overnight with a broken hip, her Phone Friend became a phone savior. By not answering her daily call, Bonita knew that her Phone Friend, with whom she had developed a close relationship, would immediately have emergency services dispatched to her residence to make sure she was OK. Sure enough, paramedics arrived at 8:15am.

Reassurance Phone Friends and Rides for Seniors are the two vital, free of charge programs offered by Senior Helpline Services of Contra Costa County, a nonprofit, charitable human service agency. Originally founded as Contact Care Center in 1972, Senior Helpline Services officially was established in 1998 with the mission to assist seniors who seek to live at home rather than in assisted living facilities. Reassurance Phone Friends matches a senior with a phone friend volunteer who places a daily five to ten minute phone call offering friendly conversation and compassionate listening. The daily call assures the client that someone cares, and it allows the trained volunteer to assess the client’s physical and mental health. Senior Helpline staff members provide a safety net by providing referrals and advocacy, if needed. If calls go unanswered, as in Bonita’s case, the office follows up to find out if the client needs immediate help.

In addition to phone 12 calls, clients receive handwritten cards on a regular basis, including holidays, birthdays, during illness, for encouragement, and in sympathy.

An equally important Senior Helpline Services program is the Rides for Seniors program. In a society where mobility equals independence, this program provides a safe alternative to driving. Janet Johnson, Director of Programs for Senior Helpline Services, knows that the prospect of losing one’s mobility is scary for most seniors. “Have you ever thought about what you would do when you put down your car keys for the last time?” she asks. “It’s daunting. Rides for Seniors helps to ease this transition by allowing seniors to maintain some level of independence.”

Rides to medical and dental appointments, the grocery store and for other basic necessities are provided on an on-call, door-through-door basis by volunteer drivers. Clients for both services are most often referred by a family member, friend or neighbor, but clients can apply on their own behalf as well. Johnson states that “3,192 rides, covering over 43,000 miles in Contra Costa County, were provided last year, and over 20,000 phone calls were made.” The agency has 104 volunteer drivers, driving 192 clients, and 132 volunteer phone friends making calls to 231 clients.

Phone Friend volunteers must be at least 18 years old and must be able to commit to calling at the same time at least once a week. Their oldest volunteer is 95 years young. Volunteer drivers must be between the ages of 25 and 75, with a valid driver’s license, a clean driving record and insurance. Face to face interviews are held with potential rides clients in order to assess ambulatory skills. Johnson recalls the story of volunteer Evelyn, a 90-year-old, blind holocaust survivor and Phone Friend to two agency clients. After years of placing her own daily calls, Evelyn requested a chance to be on the receiving end, and asked if someone might possibly be able to check in on her daily. After receiving calls from her own Phone Friend, Evelyn remarked, “I can’t believe how nice you are! You make my day.” Her Phone Friend told her, “Now you know how your clients feel when you call them!”

“The benefits really do impact both client and volunteer,” confirms Johnson. Volunteer Maggie Juren states, “I’ve always wanted to do work with older people, and I feel lucky to be matched with my client. Sometimes I feel a little guilty when I get thanked – I may be getting more out of it than she is.”

Volunteer callers and drivers are always needed. Please visit the Senior Helpline Services page on this website where you will find information on volunteering and/or becoming a client, or call (925) 284-2207.

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