The Agency on Aging of South Central Connecticut’s model, in partnership with Trusted Ride-Certified, aims to improve the health and well-being of older adults and people with disabilities by facilitating a reduction in missed medical appointments and procedures resulting from transportation barriers. AOASCC’s model will build a network of screened and trained volunteer chaperones to accompany older adults and adults with disabilities in need to and from non-emergency medical appointments and outpatient procedures. AOASCC serves an urban community.

Aging Clinic of the Rockies (ACoR)’s model will establish a family caregiver mentorship program to support novice caregivers by pairing them with experienced caregivers. Caregiver mentors will be trained as peer counselors to maximize their efficacy as mentors. ACoR’s senior peer counseling (SPC) program is a long-standing successful program, which trains volunteer older adults as peer counselors. ACoR serves urban, suburban, and rural communities.

Aroostook Agency on Aging’s model will address community unmet needs for older adults and adults with disabilities by using Friendly Visiting to reduce social isolation, Friendly Helpers to assist with home maintenance and repairs, and Friendly Neighbors to link those in need to the Agency and other vital community partners. The model’s goals are to increase social opportunities, older adult’s ability to live independently, and quality of life. AAAA serves a very large geographical rural area. 

The Catholic Charities Southwestern Ohio’s Senior Services Program model will provide evidence-based Powerful Tools for Caregivers (PTC) classes for caregivers of adults aged 60+, in-home non-medical services for older adults (such as grocery shopping, meal preparation, medication reminders), and virtual support groups for caregivers and their families. CCSWO’s goals are to empower family caregivers to maintain their health and well-being, address older adults’ needs, provide respite for caregivers, and increase ability to connect with available resources. CCSWO serves urban and rural communities, with a focus on serving Hispanic and rural communities.

Catholic Community Service’s model volunteer program includes companionship visits, travel companionship, patient advocacy, home maintenance and safety checks, food preparation, technology support, and medical equipment delivery. CCS’s model reinforces Juneau’s strong community ties and supports older adults’ desire to live independently by easing the emotional and physical risks of isolation and bridging essential resource gaps in their community. CCS’s model creates mutuality between providing and giving care to address older community members’ reluctance to ask for and/or receive assistance, which often creates a significant risk to their health and independence. CCS serves rural, suburban, and tribal communities.

CBVFR Auxiliary’s model uses volunteers to assist at-risk older adults in a physically remote and secluded coastal community. The model’s volunteer services will include providing non-medical services such as visitation, errands, light chores, meal assistance, and home repairs. CBVFR’s model will also encourage participation in community-based social activities and facilitate ability to receive health care through transportation services. CBVFR Auxiliary supports the Carova Beach Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department and serves the surrounding rural community.

Clackamas County Social Services’ model will provide home maintenance, companionship, family caregiver supports, group classes, and system navigation services to older adults and persons with disabilities. CCSS will expand its Volunteer Connection Program to start a new Friendly Visitor project that recruits and trains volunteers to provide non-medical services to older adults, people with disabilities, and family caregivers. CCSS model seeks to help people to age in place, while also decreasing loneliness and social isolation and facilitating ability to receive necessary services. CCSS serves urban, suburban, and rural communities.

DOROT’s model will mobilize volunteers to alleviate social isolation of older adults to help them live independently. DOROT will expand its volunteer Response Team to address older adults’ immediate needs, establish ongoing Caring Calls by volunteers, and add technology support, group meals, among other services. DOROT’s model seeks to reach under- and unserved older adults, offer meaningful volunteer opportunities that bring generations together, alleviate social isolation, and offer essential resources. DOROT also plans to provide volunteer led Tech Coaching and Food Friendship programs through its partnership with Morningside Retirement Health and Services (MRHS), which serves hundreds of older adults in Morningside Gardens, a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC) in West Harlem. DOROT serves urban and suburban communities.

ElderSource’s model volunteer program will provide a telephone reassurance program, Caring Connections, to older adults who live alone or are home-bound. Volunteers will telephone older adults to check in on their well-being while also providing them with an opportunity to socialize and talk about things of common interest. The model’s goals are to eliminate or reduce isolation, promote ability to receive additional support services, and support older adults’ ability to age in place. ElderSource serves urban and rural communities.

Good Shepherd Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers’ model will use volunteers to provide a friendly visitor program, home repairs and modifications, assistive devices, medical equipment lending, lawn and garden services, snow removal, light housekeeping, meal preparation, and transportation to older adults with difficulty living independently and persons age 18 and older with a disability. The model’s goals are to increase independent living, decrease isolation, and improve quality of life. GSIVS seeks to establish and maintain new sources for a varied volunteer base. GSIVS serves rural communities.

Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County’s model will develop eVolunteering, an innovative platform to enable volunteers to engage with older adults and persons with disabilities remotely face-to-face through video calls, live streaming, or other electronic means. JFS volunteers will use the platform to provide eVisits to have friendly visits, check-ins, or phone reassurance visits. Volunteers may use eRespite to remotely engage in various activities so that a family caregiver can engage in other tasks. JFS is partnering with Otsego County Commission on Aging, Flint Jewish Federation, and Verizon. JFS serves urban, suburban, and rural communities.

Lifespan of Greater Rochester’s model will recruit volunteers to provide respite for family caregivers with dementia, chronic or other illness. All caregivers and/or care recipients will be age 60 or older. Lifespan’s model includes volunteers trained on Reminiscence/Life Review as part of the respite visit. Lifespan’s model will also pilot a Texting Buddy program for caregivers who do not desire traditional respite. Lifespan seeks to fill the needs of caregivers and communities. Lifespan serves urban, suburban, and rural communities.

Lori’s Hands’ model will train and equip college students to make weekly volunteer visits to assist community members living with chronic illnesses. Student volunteers will provide non-medical services, such as picking up prescriptions and groceries, doing laundry, offering technology training, helping to connect with other community resources, and providing companionship, among other essential tasks. Lori’s Hands model supports aging-in-place, while training a next-generation aging services work force. Lori’s Hands serves urban and suburban communities.

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota’s model will educate, train (using the evidence-based Respite Education and Support Tools/REST curriculum) and empower volunteers within participating congregations to provide high quality, non-medical support for older adults, people with disabilities, and family caregivers. Volunteer services will include direct, in-home support and the use of technology to connect isolated individuals and families to community. After one-year, participating congregations will have a cohort of trained volunteers, a technology lead volunteer, and a training lead volunteer who can train volunteers beyond the grant term. LSS serves urban, suburban, and rural communities.

Lutheran Social Services of North Dakota’s model will use iPads, wireless technology, and technical support to provide companionship services to older adults living in rural parts of the state experiencing gaps in service. The goal of the LSSND’s model, Rural Companion Program, is to foster friendship and quality interactions between volunteers and isolated seniors who lack social connectivity due to their geographic remoteness. LSSND serves rural, frontier, and Tribal communities.

The New Mexico Caregivers Coalition’s model will use the evidence-based Stress-Busting Program for Family Caregivers (SBP) in geographic areas of New Mexico using volunteer group facilitators. The model’s long-term goals are to help family caregivers throughout New Mexico and develop an implementation model for SBP in community agencies. NMCC is partnering with Nurses with Heart and serves urban, suburban, rural, and Tribal communities.

North Coast Opportunities’ model will use volunteer companions to provide social contact and nourishing meals for frail and/or socially isolated older adults who are having difficulty maintaining their independence. The overall model’s goals are to decrease self-reported social isolation, increase health and wellbeing, and increase reported ability to live independently. NCO’s model builds on four existing NCO programs: Caring Kitchen, Redwood Caregiver Resource Center, Emergency Preparedness in Communities, and the Volunteer Network. NCO serves a rural community.

Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Rock County’s model volunteer program will offer transportation services to assist older adults who have lost the ability to drive themselves and to reduce their sense of social isolation. RSVP Rock’s assisted transportation program will use volunteers to drive and assist older adults with errands and appointments. RSVP Rock’s smart display program will use volunteers to setup internet and video and voice enabled smart devices in older adults’ homes, provide training on using the devices, and coordinate virtual social gathering to enable seniors with disabilities to connect with other isolated older adults. RSVP Rock serves rural and suburban communities.

ShareCare of Leelanau, Inc.’s model, in partnership with Leelanau County Senior Services, is creating community volunteer networks and a phone reassurance program to support older adults in Leelanau County. ShareCare volunteers provide an array of non-medical services, including transportation, errands, and friendly visits. The model seeks to increase community volunteerism and reduce social isolation to enable older adults in rural Michigan to have the community support they need to live independently and well in their own homes. ShareCare serves rural communities.

Shepherd’s Centers of America model volunteer transportation program, Driving Innovation, is designed to meet the growing needs of older adults living in their own homes and communities. The goal is to increase ability to engage in essential activities to improve well-being and reduce isolation. SCA is providing a multigenerational program and a companion assistant program. In addition, SCA will develop and use a comprehensive educational curriculum with helpful tools and promising practices to ensure operational effectiveness, sustainability, and ability to further advance volunteer transportation into the future. SCA’s transportation models will be offered through seven of its affiliates in North Carolina, West Virginia, Virginia, and Texas. Volunteers will provide transportation services to older adults in need of assistance and will serve urban, suburban, and rural communities.

The Saint Agnes Foundation’s model will develop the new Saint Agnes Trusted Ride program, which will build a network of volunteer chaperones to accompany older adults and adults with disabilities to and from non-emergency medical appointments. Volunteer chaperones will be layered onto existing transportation ride-share options to help frail patients navigate the hospital campus. The model will help older adults and people with disabilities obtain and receive needed medical care, which improves health outcomes and enables people to live independently. St. Agnes Foundation’s Trusted Ride model will also reduce social isolation and family caregiver burden. St. Agnes Foundation serves urban and suburban communities.

The Villages of the Berkshires’ model, in partnership with the Berkshire Community College, is delivering an array of volunteer services to older adults and persons with disabilities who wish to remain in their own homes as they age. VoB’s volunteer services will include transportation assistance, friendly visitor or phone check-ins, home repairs, and basic technology support and assistance. VoB’s model will focus on strengthening its unique partnership with the Berkshire Community College and its Osher Lifelong Learning Institute to enhance recruitment and training of volunteers to serve in the community. VoB’s partnership with a community college and a lifelong learning institute may be a model for other Villages in the national Village to Village Network. VoB, a new Village launched in 2020, serves rural communities.

Volunteers of America Northern Colorado Services’ model will provide volunteer respite visits to family caregivers caring for older adults at home. VOA’s Caregiver Support Program goals are to increase caregiver resiliency, improve the care recipient’s social connectedness, and ensure a meaningful experience for volunteers. VOA serves urban, suburban, and rural communities, including very rural, under-served counties.