volunteering ideas for an older person

[PrincessMommy]

my aunt is finally recovering from surgery she had early in the summer that kept her in the hospital for 11 weeks.  She's pretty lonely and feeling down, and I think what she needs is something to DO.  She's 67 and been retired for several years.  I know she doesn't want a job, but I've been thinking that maybe helping others might help her out a bit.

 

I was thinking she'd probably love something that involved babies.  Do hospitals still need volunteers to help hold and rock babies?

 

I don't think she'd be interested in helping at a soup kitchen or anything where they'd send her off alone to do stuff (like sorting books or something).  She's not really the type to become a big sister either.

 

But, other than the baby rocking idea, I'm kind of stumped.

 

Anyone got any good volunteering ideas for someone who needs an outlet but isn't extremely active?

Edited February 4, 2016 by PrincessMommy

[Pawz4me]

Lots of seniors volunteer at the hospitals around here. They look up patient room numbers for visitors, deliver mail, wheel patients who are being discharged out to the pick up area, etc. Or what about volunteering at an elementary school?

[LifeLovePassion]

The airport has volunteers as do nursing homes to be companions to residents. Kids at an elementary school could read to her, our locally schools have programs for that.

[Arcadia]

Baby/toddler storytime don't mind volunteers. It means they can have more sessions.

 

Friends of the library bookstore inside the library usually needs volunteers.

 

Community gardens. Some community gardens donate food to the homeless shelters and they have certain timing where volunteers would come and help out as well as stay to chat and picnic.

 

Knitting club at the library. Ours have a librarian teaching the kids but they appreciate volunteers helping.

[Um_2_4]

Library greeter?

Hospital info desk?

Children's hospitals here have activity rooms, she could read to kids, etc.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Our local elementary school has volunteers, many of them seniors, who listen to kids read to them.

 

My 91 year old mom grades the work of prisoners taking correspondence courses.  She writes each of them a letter along with her grades.  They write her back when they hand in their assignments. 

Edited February 4, 2016 by Jean in Newcastle

[Guest]

 

Do hospitals still need volunteers to help hold and rock babies?

 

 

 

 

It looks like they do. This was published in 2013:

 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/29/volunteer-cuddlers-add-extra-level-of-infant-care/3294143/

 

and this in 2014:

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/volunteers-cuddle-babies-at-hospitals-to-boost-health/

[Annie G]

Our area is always looking for volunteers to help GED students. And a church here in town runs a tutoring program after school for elementary kids- mostly the volunteers help them read.  Our hospital also has program like this mentioned upthread- good for being around people and feeling useful but maybe not right for her yet since her immune system might be weakened from her surgery and recovery. 

 

Habitat for Humanity might work for her. 

 

What did she do when she worked? 

[cera2]

My grandmother volunteered at the local wic office holding babies and reading to toddlers while their moms did paperwork (apparently parents have to bring their kids over occasionally to maintain benefits).

 

We have a number of retirees that volunteer in our high schools functional education program. They do small craft and cooking projects with the students with Down syndrome or similar disabilities.

[texasmama]

My grandma volunteered for years at a special needs class in a public school.  She helped to feed lunch to kids who were disabled physically and also did other things.  

[Annie G]

My grandmother volunteered at the local wic office holding babies and reading to toddlers while their moms did paperwork (apparently parents have to bring their kids over occasionally to maintain benefits).

 

We have a number of retirees that volunteer in our high schools functional education program. They do small craft and cooking projects with the students with Down syndrome or similar disabilities.

 

 

What a great idea to have volunteers to help moms with kids at the WIC office! 

[J-rap]

My dad is a volunteer tour guide at a museum.  He absolutely loves that.  He also delivers meals for Meals on Wheels.  

 

Our local library used to take volunteers to read at a weekly story time.

 

My kids used to volunteer at MOPS.  They'd help watch the babies and young children while the moms gathered together.

[SKL]

In our area, there's an organization just for matching seniors with volunteer opportunities.  "RSVP" - Retired Senior Volunteer Program.  Maybe you could see if there is anything like this in her area, and they might have a list of good ideas.  It might also be a fellowship opportunity for her.

[Kareni]

Another idea is literacy tutoring where she might work one on one with someone working to improve his or her reading and writing skills.  It might be a native speaker who never learned to read well or it might be someone who is learning English as a second language.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[krsmom]

My Grandmother volunteers at the local museum. It is a fantastic choice because she gets to flaunt her knowledge and meet new people in a friendly low key environment. She also volunteers at the hospital, but her favorite, is for the county clerks office where she does very simple data entry. She loves the comradery in the office.

 

 

[PrincessMommy]

several of these are great ideas!!   Thanks so much.  I'm hoping to take her out to lunch soon and maybe suggest a few to get her out of her rut. 

 

 

[Daria]

My mom volunteers a lot

 

-- reading books on tape for the blind

 

-- soup kitchen

 

-- reading tutoring at a public elementary school

 

-- teaching conversational English to an elderly neighbor who came from Iran to join her adult son.

 

-- campaigning door to door for political candidates

 

My son used to attend a daycare for medically fragile kids, and they had a "grandma" in each class whose job was basically to cuddle whoever needed it. She did other things like feeding and reading but most of the time I came in she was in a rocking chair with a child who needed a little TLC just then.

 

My mom also takes classes at a local university. It is a top private school with a high tuition but seniors only pay something like $50 a class to audit.