Senior Focus - Friendly Visitor Program

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Dementia Friends - Friendly Visitor Program - A program of RSVP funded by the Dementia Capable Support and Services Project, a San Mateo County Measure A Initiative

Brief Project Description - Members of RSVP will be recruited and will be assigned to serve as Friendly Visitors to seniors who have a diagnosis of dementia, who live at home, and are alone. Friendly Visitors will visit at least twice a month for a minimum of 1 hour, and make one 15-minute telephone check-in at least twice a month. There are 4 interactions per month between the client and their Friendly Visitor.

The Program Coordinator of RSVP will oversee and facilitate the Volunteer Training and provide on-going supervision of the volunteers in partnership with the Alzheimer's Association Care Specialist (Masters prepared). This will include a monthly phone call between the RSVP Program Coordinator and each volunteer. This is done to ensure that the volunteer feels supported and that any problems are resolved quickly.

Visiting Do's and Don'ts (examples)
Friendly Visitors will:
" Visit and chat with their clients
" Play cards and/or games with their clients
" Write letters (take dictation) for their clients
" Write out Holiday Cards/ Birthday Cards, etc.
" Read aloud or listen to the client read (newspapers, chapter books, etc.)
" Listen to books on tape with their client.
" Look at magazines/catalogs with their client.
" Craft projects - Knit/crochet/sew
" Gardening - vegetables, flowers
" Have a reminiscent conversation - "the good old days"
" Go for a walk - if the client is able and can do this safely
" Watch a television show and discuss it afterwards (a game show, the local news, etc.)
" Help the client tidy-up and to do their own chores. Tidy up a drawer with the client. Help them organize their closet.
" Help the client go through photographs and make photo albums

Friendly Visitors will not:
" Provide personal care
" Do household chores (house cleaning, laundry, take out the trash, making the bed, etc.)
" Prepare meals
" Transport client in their vehicle
" Yard work
" Do the grocery shopping
" Give a sermon, bring and give communion, preach to the client and pray with the client.

Volunteer Training: Training curriculum will be developed in collaboration with the Alzheimer's Association.

In-Home Service Agreement
Clients for the program are pre-screened and selected by the Alzheimer's Association. The Association will provide the orientation to the program to their clients, their caregivers and/or family members. Clients (or their representative) will sign an agreement to accept a Volunteer Visitor in their home for friendly visiting on a scheduled basis. The client (or their representative) will be aware of who their visitor will be and the schedule for the face-to-face visits. Clients (and/or their representative) will be informed of whom to call in the event of questions and/or concerns about their scheduled visits or their Friendly Visitor. In addition, the Friendly Visitor will sign a letter of agreement informing them of the agreed upon visiting schedule and whom to call in the event of questions and/or concerns about their scheduled visits or their client. This documentation will be maintained by RSVP with a copy provided to the Alzheimer' Association.