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Washington County Senior Companion Program

Information about the Senior Companion Program

What is the Senior Companion Program?
The Senior Companion Program is a service initiative through which people ages 60 and older provide assistance and friendship to elderly individuals who are homebound and, generally, living alone. By taking care of simple chores, providing transportation to medical appointments, and offering contact to the outside world, Senior Companions often provide the services that frail elderly need to live independently.

Senior Companions also provide respite care to relieve live-in caretakers for short periods of time. They usually serve two to four clients through 20 hours of weekly service.

How do Senior Companions benefit communities?
Senior Companions not only assist clients with chores such as paying bills, grocery shopping, and finding transportation to medical appointments, they also help make the lives of the people they serve less lonely. Many Senior Companions serve clients for several years and form the most meaningful friendships in their lives.

How does the Senior Companion Program operate locally?
Local public and private nonprofit agencies receive grants to sponsor and operate Senior Companion projects.

What organizations are eligible for Senior Companion assistance?
Community organizations that address health needs of the elderly (hospitals, centers on aging, home health care agencies) can apply to be Senior Companion volunteer stations. Volunteer stations identify individuals who need assistance and then work with Senior Companion projects to match them with available Senior Companion. Interested organizations should contact Deb Eckart, deckart@umext.maine.edu.

What benefits do Senior Companions receive?
Senior Companions receive modest tax-free stipends, reimbursement for transportation, meals during service, annual physical examinations, and accident and liability insurance while on duty. In addition to these benefits, the Senior Companion Program gives participants the opportunity to share lifetime experiences with other seniors and join more than one half million older Americans who are strengthening communities across the country as part of the National Senior Service Corps.

Who can be a Senior Companion?
Senior Companions must meet income eligibility requirements and be at least 60 years of age. They must participate in pre-service orientation and in training workshops throughout their service.

What is the National Senior Service Corps?
The National Senior Service Corps (Senior Corps) is a network of federally-supported programs that helps seniors find opportunities to address community needs through service. In addition to the Senior Companion Program, the Senior Corps includes the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program, which involves Americans age 55 and older in service that ranges from leading local museum tours to teaching adult education classes and from planning community gardens to aiding terminally ill individuals; and the Foster Grandparent Program, through which seniors help community organizations meet needs of children and youth.

Together, these programs involve over one half million seniors serving in tens of thousands of sites across the country. Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions meet income eligibility requirements, serve 20 hours per week and receive small stipends.

For more information, contact Deb Eckart or Deborah Gardner at 1-800-287-1542 or email deckart@umext.maine.edu.

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Last Modified: 08/06/08
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