Helping Seniors Live Independently
Island Volunteer Caregivers is honored to be one of One Call For All’s featured organizations this year. The following article speaks to the growing need for IVC’s programs and services in increasingly complicated times and why IVC’s mission of connection serves as an antidote for what collectively ails us.
What happens if you find that you are aging, no longer able to drive, and illness or injury bring needs that can’t be met by family, friends, or neighbors? Without someone to take you to appointments, run errands, get groceries, or offer compassion and connection, your ability to thrive and live independently is compromised.
That’s the reality for many on Bainbridge Island, particularly as they age.
Island Volunteer Caregivers (IVC) is here to help.
“IVC volunteers make life a little easier and more comfortable for our neighbors in need, so they can live their best lives,” says Joanne Maher, IVC’s Executive Director.
Iris (whose name has been changed for privacy) and her husband raised their children on Bainbridge Island and was active in the community for years. Now widowed and unable to drive, and with her children grown and spread out across the country, Iris finds independent living a challenge. She’s cognitively sharp and not ready for assisted living, she just needs help with appointments and errands.
IVC volunteers offer these and much more.
“IVC volunteers offer a much-needed sense of connection and compassion,” Maher says, “as Iris gets to know the cheerful volunteers who lend a helping hand.”
Even couples need a helping hand. Steve and Sharon (whose names have also been changed) moved to Bainbridge after retiring three years ago. Although they planned their retirement carefully, Steve’s health has declined rapidly and he’s now nearly blind. Sharon needs a break from caretaking, moral support and respite care for her husband.
New to the community, she wasn’t sure where to turn until Steve’s doctor mentioned IVC. She found IVC’s Caregivers Support Group and now receives occasional respite care through the requests that go out to IVC volunteers daily.
SERVING AN AGING POPULATION
A projected 71.5 million Americans will be age 65 or older by the year 2030, which Volunteers of America says puts our nation “on the cusp of one of the most dramatic demographic shifts in history.”
“In 2015, 20% of Bainbridge Island’s population was over 65, today that number hovers above 26%—in other words, 1 in 4 adults on Bainbridge Island are over the age of 65—and 9% of seniors are living under the poverty line. This signals increased demand for community-based support organizations like IVC, and services and programs to help older adults remain safely in their homes.”
VOLUNTEERING IS MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL
It isn’t just the care receivers who benefit. One IVC volunteer, who fits IVC shifts into her work week, says, “Volunteering with IVC has given my life more meaning, which has contributed to a deeper sense of contentment in my often-stressful world.”
Another volunteer, who is retired and picks up multiple shifts per week says, “I know I’m making a difference in someone’s life when they open the door, and they light up.”
Service to others is an enriching and essential part of a meaningful life, and the research supports this, Maher says.
Data published through the NIH’s National Library of Medicine finds that volunteering is “significantly predictive of better mental and physical health, life satisfaction, self-esteem, happiness, lower depressive symptoms, psychological distress, and mortality.”
Volunteering with seniors and individuals with long-term or temporary special needs promotes well-being and may improve their cognitive function, according to the National Institute on Aging. It supports IVC’s goal of helping seniors thrive by maintaining their independence as they age in place.
DEEPER ENGAGEMENT THROUGH PROGRAMS
Beyond IVC’s core transportation services, the organization offers a community resource navigator, life enrichment programs, and caregiver and grief support groups. All of IVC’s programs are free to participants.
One of IVC’s signature programs, Flowers from the Heart, encapsulates the heart of the organization and its volunteers. Every summer for over 20 years, Flowers from the Heart has delivered fresh bouquets to care receivers, community heroes, and people in need of cheer.
“We love going the extra mile for care receivers,” Maher says. “The joy on people’s faces when they participate in an enrichment program like pet therapy, art and music, museum tours, or a Kreaky Knees walking group, or find fresh flowers at the doorstep, is evidence that quality of life makes a big difference.”
25+ YEARS OF SERVING COMMUNITY MEMBERS
IVC got its start in 1996 when members of our island religious congregations realized the growing need in our community for an organization that would assist our most vulnerable populations—the elderly, the disabled and others with special needs—to live comfortably and safely in their own homes with independence, dignity and a connection to the community.
IVC has approximately 400 active care receivers and meets up to 40 requests per week through daily communications to more than 270 volunteers.
The organization offers a variety of programs and services that enrich the lives of older adults and people with disabilities or medical conditions. The impact is evident by the abundant gratitude IVC receives from both care receivers and their families.
AWARD WINNING EFFORTS
In 2021, IVC was a recipient of the Bainbridge Community Foundation’s Outstanding Humanitarian Award for aiding in the COVID vaccination effort.
With the help of IVC and local agencies including the Bainbridge Senior and Community Center, Bainbridge Prepares, the City of Bainbridge and Bainbridge Community Pharmacy, over 700 seniors were among the first to be vaccinated against COVID-19 on Bainbridge Island. IVC continues to assist seniors today helping to make appointments and with transportation to COVID booster and flu clinics.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Gifts through One Call for All will help IVC introduce a new wellness program over the next year to reduce loneliness and social isolation among older adults and promote the health and well-being of the elderly, disabled and those in need. Care receivers will be paired with trusted volunteers for one-on-one relationships.
“With increased volunteerism and support from donors through partners like One Call for All,” Maher says, “IVC will remain a consistent presence helping more residents age in place safely with access to essential services and well-being.”
We also welcome new helpers to fill daily requests from our growing number of care receivers. Apply to join our valued group of volunteers.