How to Volunteer at a Home for the Elderly

Volunteering at an elderly home can be a rewarding experience. According to The Senior Source, more than 50 percent of nursing home residents have no close relatives and 46 percent have no living children to help with their care. Close family members sometimes relocate to other states, leaving elderly relatives alone. As a result, many seniors spend their remaining years in loneliness and isolation. Elderly homes rely on volunteers to help with duties that regular staff cannot perform due to obligations in other areas. There are several ways to volunteer at elderly homes.

Instructions

• 1

  Look through your local phone book for nursing homes in your area. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, nursing homes are set up like hospitals with full-time nursing staff to care for elderly residents who can't care for themselves at home. Common volunteer opportunities include reading to the residents, art activities, companionship visits and playing games.

• 2

  Contact assisted living communities nearby if you would like to participate in more active volunteer work. Assisted living facilities provide different levels of care for seniors and often need extra help with activities, because they have a more active population compared to traditional nursing homes. Contact the activities director for the facility and request information about volunteering requirements, scheduling for activities and feedback about your activity ideas.

• 3

  Contact your State Department of Aging and Disability Services for information on volunteering at state-wide homes and assisted living facilities for the elderly. Volunteering through a Department of Aging agency provides the extra benefit of training for working with the elderly, enabling you to better understand the challenges elderly residents face every day. The Department of Aging and Disability Services also provides a list of Medicaid- and Medicare-funded elderly homes that sometimes offer incentives for volunteers, such as volunteer recognition awards and continuing educational credits for healthcare workers.

• 4

  Meet with the director of activities, once you have decided where you want to volunteer, and verify what duties you will be performing for the elderly residents. Ask specific questions about the resident's expectations to be certain you are comfortable performing these duties. If asked to perform a task for which you are not familiar, ask for on-site training.

• 5

  Maintain a calm and cheerful manner when spending time with elderly residents. The Bridge of Hope Foundation states that touch is a very important communication tool to display genuine concern, personal support and affection. Companionship is very important to seniors, so treat elderly people like educated adults, being careful not to talk to them as though they are children, just because they are elderly.

• 6

  Avoid making a commitment unless you are positive you can keep the appointment because the residents will come to expect you and will be very disappointed if you do not follow through on your commitment to meet with them. If you must reschedule an activity, call in advance and schedule an alternative date immediately. Show respect for the elderly residents' time by arriving on time for scheduled fun dates.