There are more ways to volunteer your time or talents than you can think of. Helping at a non-profit or donating to an animal shelter are the most popular. However, if you look around and think out of the box, you'll see that there are literally hundreds of lesser known but equally worthwhile ways to share your skills.
MidPenn Legal Services Ombudsman Eileen Barlow provided the following:
Long-term care ombudsmen are advocates for consumers of long-term care services - i.e. nursing homes, personal care homes, assisted living center, older adult day living centers - who work to resolve the problems presented by these consumers that will improve their care and bring quality to their life.
According to the Administration on Aging website, the ombudsman program begun in 1972 and exists today in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam under the authorization of the Older Americans Act.
Each of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania has ombudsman representation either through the local Area Agency on Aging or subcontracted services.
The Schuylkill County program includes a full-time ombudsman, a back-up ombudsman and a corps of 16 volunteers - 15 who visit consumers and one who assembles welcome packets. The volunteers are assigned to a particular facility or facilities and visit newly admitted residents each month. They also distribute the packets that include information on local and state programs, resident council and PEER.
All entry level (Tier 1) volunteers are required to attend a two-hour orientation with the staff ombudsman and a one-day training provided by the Department of Aging. All training is free of charge. Additional training is available and would allow the volunteer to investigate the complaint process. Upon completion, the volunteer could also attend training that would enable them to train PEERs.
PEER
An additional arm of the ombudsman program is the inclusion of long-term care consumer advocates known as PEERs. The PEER Program began in 2002 and was developed by the ombudsman division of the Department of Aging. The program includes five 2-hour sessions that teach the long-term care consumer how to resolve their own problems and assist those consumers who cannot speak for themselves.
Schuylkill County served as a pilot site for PEER and has trained more than 135 PEERs since the program's inception. There are currently 52 active members who meet quarterly under the group title "Concerned Resident Advocates of Schuylkill County" or "CRA." These consumers are also classified as volunteers.
PEERs have conducted trainings for the staff members at their homes on such topics as resident rights, abuse prevention and dignity and respect. The CRA Group has participated in the county's "Make a Difference Day" Program annually since 2008, conducting campaigns such as "Stuff the Backpack," "Project: Taste of Home," "Seniors in Homes Helping Homeless Seniors," and its most recent project, "Save a Neighbor."
In 2009, "Project: Taste of Home" was recognized by Community Volunteers in Action, the Schuylkill County Board of Commissioners and U.S. Rep. Tim Holden for the PEER's efforts in collecting non-perishable food items and personal care items for active servicemen and women.
In October, the PEERs were recognized by former President George H.W. Bush and the "Points of Light Foundation" through the "Daily Point of Light Program" for their 2012 "Homeless Seniors" project. The PEERs collected funds that were donated to the Office of Senior Services (OSS) for its emergency fund that assists "over-60" consumers in need of essentials such as home heating oil. More than $1,000 was donated to OSS.
The volunteers have consistently exceeded the expectations of the ombudsman program and many of the members have been with the program for more than eight years. New members are always welcome.
For more information, contact Eileen Barlow at MidPenn Legal Services at 570-628-3931, extension 3304.
For information about volunteer opportunities, call Community Volunteers in Action at 570-628-1426, email jjohnston@co,.schuylkill.pa.us or go to www.schuylkill.us/cvia. Check us out on Facebook at www.facebook.com/communityvolunteersinaction.