Living at Home of the Park Rapids Area

Volunteer Opportunities for Living at Home of the Park Rapids Area

Who We Are

Our Mission: Living at Home mobilizes volunteers and other community resources to enable seniors to remain in the home of their choice. We strive to provide dignity and quality of life for the elderly in our community.

What We Do

What Can and Can’t Living at Home Do?

Living at Home’s mission is to mobilize volunteers and other community resources to help seniors stay in the home of their choice as long as it is safe to do so. Home can mean many different things – a house, an apartment, or even an assisted living facility. Living at Home provides services to persons 65+ in the communities of Park Rapids, Nevis, Akeley, Osage and the surrounding areas. Caregiver support services are available for anyone who is caring for someone age 60+.

Our volunteers are typically available 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. Most of our volunteers are seniors themselves and like their evenings and weekends free to spend with family and friends. All services must be prearranged through the Living at Home office for insurance purposes. A suggested donation accompanies all volunteer services, but no one will be turned away due to an inability to donate. Additionally, if you are in need of something Living at Home does not offer, we are a referral source to help you obtain the services you need.

Transportation: Living at Home staff can arrange door to door transportation services to bring someone to a medical appointment, to the grocery store, or on another errand. We also have volunteer drivers willing to go to Fargo, Bemidji and Detroit Lakes for medical appointments. We require a minimum of two business day’s notice to arrange a volunteer. We always try our best to find a driver, but sometimes it is not possible due to volunteer’s schedules. In some circumstances, assisted medical transportation may be available in which a volunteer attends an appointment with a senior and provides notes to the office staff and family. We are not an emergency transportation service. We cannot assist with last minute requests. We cannot drive people to St. Cloud or to the Twin Cities. We cannot provide transportation when a medical procedure is planned. Additionally, we do not have the ability to transport persons who are in a wheelchair.

Occasional Light Housekeeping: A stay in the hospital or nursing home is tough. Coming home to care for your housekeeping and laundry needs can be difficult. Living at Home can provide short-term light housekeeping services if a volunteer is available. This service includes wiping down counters, vacuuming, doing a load of laundry, or changing bed linens. You must provide cleaning supplies. This is not a long-term service and does not include cleaning of bathrooms, windows, walls, etc. If you need a housekeeper on a regular basis our staff is happy to provide you with a list of potential people to hire.

Minor handyman Services: Volunteer handymen and handywomen are available to assist with minor projects that are necessary for seniors to remain safely in their homes. This can include installing grab bars and safety railings, tightening loose faucets, etc. Occasionally, a volunteer is available to help with lawn work or gardening on a limited basis. Due to insurance requirements, volunteers cannot perform any handyman service that would require them to use a ladder or dangerous equipment such as a chainsaw. Our volunteers cannot work on projects involving electrical wiring or major plumbing.

Friendly visits: If you or a family member are feeling isolated in your home or would just like someone to talk with, our staff can arrange a volunteer visitor or volunteer phone friend. This can be up to a once a week service. This service is not to be confused with respite care (see below). Friendly visits are primarily conducted in a person’s home although our staff can sometimes find a special person who is willing to go out for coffee once in a while.

Respite: All caregivers deserve a break when they don’t have to worry about the safety of the person they are caring for. Living at Home has special volunteers in place to give caregivers a respite period by staying with a person who cannot be home alone while the caregiver goes out to do whatever he or she chooses. This service is available up to one time a week for a two to four hour period for caregivers near and far. Living at Home respite volunteers are not trained medical personnel. Due to insurance reasons, they cannot lift someone who has fallen, dispense medication, provide assistance in changing incontinence products and are limited in the amount of toileting assistance they can offer. Additionally, volunteers do not prepare meals. Putting together a sandwich or light snack is acceptable. Respite through Living at Home is not available once a person enters Hospice Care as Hospice has specially trained volunteers for this purpose.

Caregiver Coaching: Living at Home has Certified Caregivers Support Coaches on staff who is specially trained to work with caregivers, offering them support and resources. Through home visits, phone calls and emails, Jill Grimes can help you to understand ways to care for yourself while you care for a friend or family member. Jill also leads a monthly caregiver discussion group. She can offer tips that may make your job easier, but she is unable to give medical advice concerning the person you are caring for. Additionally, she is not able to provide hands-on care for your loved one. 

Website

www.parkrapidslivingathome.org

Check out our Volunteer Page: www.parkrapidslivingathome.org/index.php/volunteers