Assistant (Homebound Elderly)

COMMUNITY PARTNER

East Valley Adult Resources, Inc.

ABOUT THE INTERNSHIP

Duties

Student interns will have the opportunity to help the program director in all aspects of managing the Assistance for Independent Living Volunteer Program - Assistance for Homebound Elderly. For example, interns can accompany the volunteer manager to client’s homes for initial intake and reassessments or advocate for clients. Students will have the opportunity to participate in community presentations as well as community service meetings in the East Valley. Interns can be involved with all aspects in volunteer recruitment activities such as: marketing through Public Service Announcements (PSA’s), ad placements or can oversee our volunteer recruitment committee.

There are TWO opportunities this Fall:
Advocate and Student Initiated "pilot" program/demonstration project

Advocate
With assistance, student interns will learn how to advocate for our clients and those who call our agency looking for help by learning how to tap into community resources to troubleshoot problems on behalf of our clients. In addition, interns will be able to have one-on-one contact with our homebound clients and choose to perform services that they prefer--such as: transporting clients to medical appointments, cancer patient support, helping clients with grocery shopping, visual assistance and friendly visiting–for socialization.

Students with initiative can choose to start a “Pilot”Program/demonstration project of their own choice. The project must be approved by the supervisor and must serve our at-risk elderly clients. Students may meet with the supervisor to help them with their ideas for this project.

Population served

The Assistance for Independent Living (AIL) Volunteer Program a division of East Valley Adult Resources, Inc. utilizes volunteers whose efforts support homebound, frail, and elderly residents of the East Valley with transportation and socialization. The AIL Volunteer program has one goal: to help frail seniors remain independent in their homes for as long as possible. Volunteers perform simple but necessary tasks that support a senior’s independence so they are able to continue living with dignity and independence in their own homes. AIL Volunteer clients are typically: over 80 years old, low-income, homebound- infrequently leaving their homes, women living independently without family living nearby or able to assist with transportation needs, challenged with one or more chronic health problems and express the desire of remaining in their own home and maintaining their independence within the East Valley.

Community need/impact

The Assistance for Independent Living Volunteer Program plays an essential role in supporting at-risk seniors in the community. Seniors are living longer and families are scattered. Many family members are no longer able to transport their loved ones on a weekday-- due to job constraints. Many seniors go without socialization opportunities and our volunteers help fill this need. Some of our most vulnerable seniors remain on a waiting list for services and the list is growing.

The internship tasks will address this need in our community by helping grow the volunteer base and allowing the AIL Volunteer Program to enroll more elderly clients. Also, students will fill a need by serving clients directly and if they desire, students can enhance our programming with new ideas and innovation.

Further, if a student is creative and wants to work with several clients on a specific project, with a supervisor’s okay, students will be free to test themselves as well as their own strengths.

The AIL Volunteer Program currently serves 425 at-risk seniors in the community. The impact on the population that our program serves is enormous. Without the ability to get to the doctor, to grocery shop or pick up a prescription, these individuals would most likely be institutionalized. In addition, at-risk seniors benefit from having regular phone calls and visits from our volunteers for socialization. Opportunities for socialization are key in helping these isolated seniors remain living independently in the community.

Having an intern to help our program helping with all the tasks necessary to recruit volunteers and to enroll more clients would make a great difference in the community and directly with our clients.

An example of how our volunteers affect individuals in the community follows.

Recently, a man called the AIL office seeking volunteer services. After describing the services that our volunteers provide, he said, “I’m not sure what I need” Stan, age 94, explained how his wife had passed away two years earlier. Eventually Stan disclosed that he was “lonely and the walls were closing in.” Stan was assigned a phone volunteer immediately. After receiving two “Friendly” calls from an AIL volunteer, Stan called the AIL office and said to the volunteer manager, “I feel like I’m plugged back in to life again.” Stan has completely changed since becoming an AIL client. He now has two volunteer phone friends and friendly visits every week from a local family who think that Stan is fascinating. Their ten and twelve year olds enjoy his stories about being from pioneer family that came to Arizona in a covered wagon.

Any intern that has a passion for the elderly could improve the quality of life for many of our most vulnerable seniors. Our volunteers tell us that, their own quality of life is enhanced by providing services for our clients, and that they get more than they give.