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Volunteer! *Links marked with a red asterisk are Adobe Acrobat pdf files. If necessary, click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader at no charge. |
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Volunteer! *Links marked with a red asterisk are Adobe Acrobat pdf files. If necessary, click here to download Adobe Acrobat Reader at no charge. |
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Whether you're a senior or a senior-to-be, nothing feels quite as good as helping someone else. The Aging and Long-Term Services Department offers several volunteer opportunities that will help you scratch that do-gooder itch.
HIV/AIDS If you are interested in becoming a Community Advocacy Bureau HIV/AIDS Advocacy Network participant, please email Juanita Thorne-Connerty@state.nm.us or call her at 505-476-4787 or contact the Community Advocacy Bureau HIV/AIDS Advocacy Network toll free at 866-842-9230, extension 4507. Benefits Counseling Program Long-Term Care Ombudsman Senior Companions Foster Grandparents Retired and Senior Volunteer
Program (RSVP) |
Join the Benefits Counseling Program Volunteers with the Aging and Long-Term Services Department's benefits counseling program provide important advice on how senior and disabled New Mexicans might receive help paying for medical care, food or electricity. The information is presented around the state by phone, through senior centers and direct door-to-door outreach. Volunteers are trained through an intensive, two-day program on Medicare health plan choices, Medicaid, Supplemental Insurance and all public entitlement programs to be able to respond to the same sort of questions staff answers. With the training complete, volunteers work two to three hours a week answering a hotline, at senior centers or by traveling to people's homes. For more information on becoming a benefits counselor, email Anthony Romero or call him toll-free at 1-800-432-2080. Long-Term Care Ombudsman Imagine that you are hundreds of miles away from family. Strangers dress and bathe you but do not have time to listen because so many others need their care. You would like to tell them that your roommate is stealing your things, but the stroke you had makes your speech difficult to understand. You need someone to speak up for
you. You need an ombudsman. Volunteer ombudsmen come from all walks of life. What they have in common is a desire to make a difference in the lives of the elderly and disabled. Volunteers receive extensive training before they are certified as ombudsmen and receive occasional refresher courses. Department staff provide ongoing support and guidance to the volunteers. For more information on becoming an ombudsman, email State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Sondra Everhart or call her toll-free at 1-866-451-2901. Senior Companions The Senior Companion Program enlists volunteers 60 years old or older to provide assistance and friendship to older seniors who have difficulty with daily life skills. Senior Companions might pay bills, shop for groceries, provide light housekeeping or perform other tasks. No matter the duty, they will offer friendship to someone who might not have much contact with others. Senior Companions usually help two to four clients and work 20 hours a week. Senior Companions receive a small, tax-free stipend for their work. They also receive reimbursement for transportation, meals while working, an annual physical exam and supplemental accident and liability coverage while they are serving. All Senior Companions receive orientation and additional monthly training. See below for Senior Companion contact information.
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Foster Grandparents Foster Grandparents devote their volunteer time to giving one-to-one, daily attention to children with special needs. They tutor children in reading, mentor teen-agers and young mothers, give emotional support to abused and neglected children and care for premature infants and children with physical disabilities and severe illnesses. Foster Grandparents must meet low-income requirements, be 60 years old or older and be willing to work 20 hours a week in schools, day-care centers or other facilities that serve children. They receive a $2.55 an hour, tax-free stipend, transportation or reimbursement for transportation, meals while working, an annual physical exam, supplemental accident and liability coverage while they are serving and annual recognition. See below for Foster Grandparents contact information.
Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) RSVP offers volunteers who are 55 years of age or older the opportunity to make significant contributions to government and non-profit agencies. Volunteers share their experiences and abilities to better their communities and themselves. Volunteers are provided orientation and, based on their skills, are placed in a variety of volunteer positions. Volunteer opportunities may be found at hospitals, nursing homes, libraries, senior citizens centers and schools, among others. RSVP volunteers may serve from a few hours to full-time and choose the work they want to do. Volunteers receive on-the-job training from the agency or organization with which they are placed. RSVP volunteers receive supplemental accidental and liability coverage while on duty, mileage, meal reimbursement (if in need) and annual recognition. See below for RSVP contact information. Senior Companion, Foster Grandparents, RSVP contact information. Click the county name or tribal affiliation below to contact the Senior Companion, Foster Grandparents and RSVP program sponsor in a community. |