‘You Get So Much More Back Than You Give’: Volunteer Opportunities for Seniors to Help Seniors

David Brewer, an 82-year-old retired heavy equipment operator, has volunteered with Meals on Wheels in the Flathead for a decade. The program, run by the area’s Agency on Aging, delivers hot, pre-prepared meals to homebound seniors and individuals with disabilities who can’t make their own food. 

Carla Dyment, the agency’s director, said Meals on Wheels relies on more than 200 volunteers like Brewer to learn routes and drive them consistently, bringing the meals to those in need Monday through Friday. They don’t miss days. Even when a violent windstorm left 31,000 people without power in mid-December, Meals on Wheels volunteers made their deliveries. But Dyment said the program’s impact on volunteers and participants alike is deeper than just dropping off food. 

Brewer and other volunteers described building connections with the people on their routes. Brewer said he typically meets program participants with the meal and then stops in to talk with them about how they’re doing. Dyment said sometimes, that interaction might be the only social connection those homebound clients get.

“I’ve learned to have compassion for those who aren’t as well off as I am,” Brewer said. 

Dyment, and several of her peers in the area who run organizations and agencies serving senior citizens, rely on volunteers like Brewer, who are also of an older generation. 

All those who interact with seniors said continuing to volunteer even as one gets older comes with several benefits for those who partake. It helps them stay engaged, build relationships with others and continue contributing to society, even after retirement. More than that, many said that by staying involved, seniors break stereotypes about older generations and can change the conversation about society’s treatment of older folks.

In a county where individuals 65 and older make up 21% of the population, the Flathead has no shortage of opportunities for seniors to jump in, either by volunteering or learning something new. Read on to find out about a smattering of those options.

AGENCY ON AGING

Dyment said Meals on Wheels is the primary volunteer option the Agency on Aging currently offers. Since the program delivers meals in the middle of the day, it usually fits the schedule of retirees better than folks who might still be working. 

For those interested in signing on to volunteer, Dyment says the specifics of the gig depend on the amount of time they’re willing to give. The Agency on Aging has options available for people to help in its office, work in the kitchen or sign on as Meals on Wheels delivery drivers. The agency is also always looking for back-up drivers, who can sub in should one of the regular drivers take a vacation or need to take a day off. 

The easiest way to sign on to help is by calling 406-758-5711. 

SHEPHERD’S HAND

In Whitefish, Shepherd’s Hand operates with a similar mission to Meals on Wheels, helping aging folks who are mostly homebound. 

The nonprofit is in its second chapter, according to executive director Jennifer Hyatt. When it started in 1995, it offered a free clinic focused on supporting the aging community in the Flathead Valley, but in the past couple years it’s transitioned in its services to supporting those who are mostly homebound with nonmedical caregiving services. 

Those services include tasks like everyday chores, transportation and minor home repairs, Hyatt said. Shepherd’s Hand relies on volunteers to complete those items. Sometimes, volunteers complete a one-off task, like helping somebody move apartments. Other clients require more help, and for those folks, Shepherd’s Hand will build volunteer teams around them to split the responsibilities. 

Shepherd’s Hand is looking for volunteers generally, especially in the Kalispell and Evergreen area. Hyatt said they have many people on their client waitlist there. The nonprofit also recently started a Home Solutions program to provide home repairs and renovations, and it needs more people with handyman skills to build up that aspect of its work. 

While the organization accepts any volunteers over the age of 18, Hyatt said the volunteer base is primarily made up of seniors serving seniors. 

“For many of our volunteers who are older that are helping older people, they can really relate, and they can see that while now they’re healthy and vibrant, they’re not too far down the line from needing that help,” Hyatt said. 

Hyatt said those interested in volunteering can call Shepherd’s Hand at 406-260-3502; send them an email at [email protected]; or visit the organization’s website at shepherdshand.com. 

FLATHEAD RESPITE

At Flathead Respite, a nonprofit that focuses on providing a community of “friends” for people fighting dementia, great volunteers are the organization’s “lifeblood,” said Susan Moore, one of the nonprofit’s board members. 

The group hosts sessions for people with mild to moderate dementia, offering them a chance to try out music, dance, light exercise, arts and crafts, service projects and a hot meal. 

The organization — which operates under the umbrella of a national parent organization — tries to run its activities with a 1:1 ratio. In other words, volunteers are assigned to work with one participant for the day, developing a relationship where the participant feels cared for. In practice, the program aims to offer a respite for participants’ caregivers, who have a chance for some time for themselves as their loved one becomes part of a new community as well. 

“The caregivers need a break from their loved ones, but sometimes the loved one with dementia needs a break from the caregiver,” Moore said.

While Moore’s organization is also open to volunteers of all age groups, she said it’s often seniors who step up. Volunteering is flexible and handled through SignUp Genius. People get to pick the days they help, rather than being tied to a specific day or timeslot regularly. 

Moore said many of the organization’s volunteers are driven by a desire to have purpose and to serve, but also “because of close, personal experience with a loved one who was either a caregiver or needed the care.” She said Flathead Respite hosts volunteer trainings quarterly, and encourages those interested in volunteering to sit in on sessions to get a feel for what they’d be signing on for before taking the jump.

To get involved, Moore said the easiest way is to either email herself at [email protected], or the nonprofit’s director, at [email protected]. 

MY GLACIER VILLAGE

Jenn Prunty and Crystal Purvis are passionate about their work with My Glacier Village. A local offshoot of a national “Village” movement, My Glacier Village was created by seniors, for seniors, and runs based off seniors who sign on as volunteers. The organization caters to those who are 55+, live independently and don’t have any type of severe cognitive decline. 

Members pay a $50 per month fee. For that price, they can participate in group activities, along with receiving a certain amount of service requests each month. Requests can range from home repairs to transportation and more. 

Volunteers, then, fill in those service requests for each other, with the effect that it builds a “village” — hence, the organization’s name. Prunty and Purvis said by offering participants agency and community, members can then “stand up a little bit taller.” 

They say senior citizens are often forgotten about in today’s society — but that doesn’t take away their desire to contribute. It’s why the organization’s mission is so important. 

“People are learning new languages,” Purvis said. “They’re teaching themselves music. They’re writing books, and we treat them as a demographic, we treat them like they’re these cute little people. And I try — like, there are so many words I’ve tried to stay away from since I started this job. They’re not cute. They’re magnificent. It’s incredible. 

“To be able to do that sort of stuff in life without the hindrance we have in youth of like, ‘what’s next?’ and this and that. And I think what I’ve learned is there’s life after life.” 

My Glacier Village is searching for volunteers in the 55+ age range. Volunteer opportunities can be crafted to fit into one’s schedule, as volunteers can choose opportunities where they can fill in. 

“You get so much more back than you give,” Prunty said. 

For those interested in finding out more — either about membership or about volunteering — you can visit MyGlacierVillage.com or call the office at 406-250-8784. 

KALISPELL PARKS AND REC

While Kalispell Parks and Recreation doesn’t have an active volunteer program (though it does provide volunteer opportunities for those who seek them out), it has been trying to expand its programming offerings beyond young children. That effort follows feedback the department received in the process of developing its master plan.

“So, we’re really seeing that people of all ages are gonna want to have some of this enrichment programming and wellness programming,” said Stephanie Brown, Kalispell Parks and Recreation’s recreation superintendent. “And so, we’re looking at ways that we can expand some in some of those areas.” 

Parks and Rec has several art workshops taking place throughout the spring. They’re offered for ages 16+, but Brown said in the early goings, many of them have several seniors who’ve signed up. Those workshops come with fees. They include options like stained glass painting and creative art journaling. 

It has also partnered with My Glacier Village to offer a free monthly conversation and learning series meant to “empower adults to embrace aging with confidence, purpose, and joy.” Conversations take place the second Thursday of each month, from 1-2:30 p.m., in the community room at 15 Depot Park.

To find more information about Parks and Rec’s offerings, visit https://www.kalispell.com/888/Adult-Recreation.