Student volunteers are paired with 3-5 older adults in the community who have signed-up to participate in the CARE Connections program. Volunteers call their "senior partner" weekly (or at another interval decided between them) to check-in. In addition to discussing access to healthcare, medications, transportation, food, and other social drivers, we encourage callers to spend time chatting with their partner, learning about their lives and interests. The weekly well-check calls are the foundation of the program: our goal is to establish authentic and trusting relationships that decrease social isolation and connect older adults to community resources.
For new callers, we provide training, scripts, and educational videos to support the well-check calls. Prior to volunteering with us, potential volunteers must complete our volunteer application and intake (including form submission, completion of 2 LMS modules if uncompleted, and viewing of our training material). A member of the leadership team will reach out via email to walk through the volunteer initiation process upon submission of the application.
Volunteer application: https://forms.gle/ZTXSgn2Sdk6RESCx5
