How to Help the Elderly in New Hampshire

Perform a service to your community and enjoy the feeling of helping out by assisting the elderly in your area. If you live in or around New Hampshire, a variety of avenues are available for helping the elderly. Finding the right organization and volunteer opportunity is the best place to start when you decide that you want to help and give back to your community.

Instructions

• 1

  Gather all information regarding your availability and skills. Have a calendar handy before contacting any organization about volunteer opportunities. List what days and times you can be available. Make another list to note what skills you can offer, such as driving, picking up and dropping off items, computer skills, owning a laptop, owning a cell phone with unlimited minutes or household repair skills.

• 2

  Contact your own church or other religious community and talk to someone who coordinates care of elderly members. Offer your services based on your lists of skills and availability. Give the contact person permission to post your information in a church bulletin or verbally relay it to elderly members of the church. Offer your services to other churches located close to you in New Hampshire.

• 3

  Contact elderly assistance organizations and ask to be placed on their list of available volunteers. Clearly and accurately state what services you can provide. Learn how each organization operates and offer your services accordingly. For example, Seniors Count, located in Manchester, New Hampshire, uses the services of volunteers to assist members in staying active in meetings, attending doctor appointments throughout the Manchester area and providing guidance with other elderly issues and concerns.

• 4

  Contact the American Red Cross, New Hampshire Region. Ask to speak to a volunteer coordinator. Ask to be placed on the list of available volunteers to assist the elderly in your area. Make sure to fill out all required forms as requested. Stay in touch with the volunteer coordinator assigned to you and responsible for aiding elderly residents of New Hampshire.

• 5

  Contact the Monadnock RSVP/Volunteer Center, which services all of New Hampshire. Call and speak to a representative or fill out an online volunteer opportunity request form. Be specific about what services you can and cannot do. Services provided by this organization include driving the elderly to and from doctor appointments, grocery shopping, prescription medication pickup and delivery and spending time with those who are lonely.Ask questions of the volunteer coordinator to make sure that you will be a good fit for such types of activities.

• 6

  Sign up to be a driver and food delivery volunteer for Meals on Wheels, which provides nutrition to homebound elderly residents throughout New Hampshire. Meals on Wheels is funded and operated through local organizations throughout the state. For example, in the Merrimack area, St. Joseph Community Services operates the local program. To find additional New Hampshire-based Meals on Wheels programs, use the interactive program locator tool found on the national Meals on Wheels website. As of May 2011, five programs were in existence throughout New Hampshire.

• 7

  Contact doctors and hospitals throughout New Hampshire to register as a volunteer. Ask to have forms sent to you for all available programs geared toward assisting the elderly. For example, the Southern New Hampshire Medical Center located in Nashua has volunteer opportunities to help the elderly, such as visiting with patients or reading to those unable to do so themselves.