Share Conversation with 98-Year-Old in Jamaica Queens

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Queens Community House’s Friendly Visiting Program needs a volunteer to provide thoughtful and engaging weekly visits and/or phone calls to isolated older adults with range of interests, hobbies, religious and political beliefs.

This particular client is 98 years old and lives in Jamaica, Queens. Can you imagine all the stories she has to share? She has a wonderful sense of humor, is very intelligent, and loves word searches, dominoes, and bingo. She lives with her daughter, and also has an aide with her 3 days a week, so she often has company, but is craving more meaningful connection and engagement. She has nine children and used to travel throughout the year to visit her children. She really enjoyed being able to spend several weeks with each of her children but is no longer able to travel to see them since she is now going to dialysis three times a week. It's been difficult for her to no longer be able to visit her family, so she'd love to learn how to use her smartphone so that she can video chat with her children and grandchildren. She'd also love to learn how to watch YouTube videos. She goes to dialysis on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays so she's not available those days. However, she'd be available for visits on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, or Sundays. If you drive, she has a driveway that the volunteer can park in.

To be a part of the friendly visiting program, you will have to be vaccinated, complete an application and some other paperwork, consent to a background check and supply two personal/professional references. After an interview, you will need to attend a training session that lasts about 90 minutes. The whole process might take a few weeks and we ask that you commit to stay for six months in the program. Volunteers report their visits to the program and do phone check-ins with the staff every three months.

If interested in this program, email us at volunteer@qchnyc.org