EATON — In highlighting this year’s National Senior Center Month’s theme of, Senior Centers: Building Momentum, this emphasizes the personal growth and momentum senior centers bring to their communities, including programming that empowers older adults to learn, give, and connect. At Preble County Council on Aging our Senior Companionship Program is one of our volunteer based programs that provides engagement and connection for both the senior companion (volunteer) and the senior recipient.
The Senior Companionship Program helps Preble County seniors stay in their homes, and live independently by offering friendship and emotional support. Services provided include an in-home visitor and/or a reassurance telephone call. This program can offer a win-win experience for the volunteer as well as the senior in need of companionship.
This program is especially valuable for seniors who do not have family that live nearby or family that has passed away. The senior companion can act as a family member, being the eyes and ears for the senior and sharing with us if there is a need that we can help with. The senior companion helps to ensure:
• The senior’s safety
• That the senior is getting what they need, such as food and medical care
• Anything else that needs to be done is addressed accordingly
Clyde Derringer, one of our recipients shared, “Joanie, my companion, calls me up to three times a day. She is the only person who checks on me. My wife and daughter passed away and the only daughter still alive is mentally challenged. I call Joanie my secretary. I don’t know what I’d do without her.”
We currently have a waiting list of 12 seniors throughout the county that are in need of companionship. If you have the time or energy to volunteer, we would greatly appreciate the support. Give us a call at 937-456-4947 or stop in the senior center at 800 East St. Clair St. in Eaton.
To stay up to date on all of our activities, trips and senior news sign up to receive our bi-monthly newsletter the “Senior Scene.” Membership at the Senior Center is $10 a year. In addition to other benefits, members automatically receive our bi-monthly “Senior Scene” newsletter which features all our latest news and activities, additional benefits are discounts on trips and select activities. Like our Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/preblecountycouncilonaging/ or give us a call at 937-456-4947. Visit our website at www.PrebleSeniorCenter.org.
