Bringing the Senior Center to the Residents

Some may think of the Avon Senior Center as a facility that residents come to for a social community environment.

While that is the case, what can be done for the senior citizens who are homebound and may not have a lot of visitors?

Jennifer Bennett, senior center director, and her team of interns and volunteers are bringing the senior center to the homes of Avon’s elderly population as part of a developing program called the Friendly Visitor Project Joy Outreach Program.

“The goal is to reach seniors in our community who may be sick and may not be able to come to the center,” Bennett said. “Some were coming to the center [before], but due to health and other things, they weren’t able to come out [to the center anymore]. They still [are] part of our community.”

Bennett was one of 32 social workers featured in the Connecticut Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers’ “Faces of Social Work” video in honor of National Social Work Month.

The Friendly Visitor Project started off with sending cards and letters to local seniors, as well as making phone calls once a month. Bennett said that she and senior center staff and volunteers already were visiting residents in nursing homes. The town also offers social services like Dial-a-Ride to give senior citizens a means of transportation locally.

There is paperwork that the seniors sign to confirm the request for a visit, and all of the volunteers who visit the homes are screened. Like town employees, Bennett said that volunteers are required to pass police background checks and drug tests.

Bennett has three social work interns she is training first, including Ron Michaud, a social work junior at Central Connecticut State University, as well as CCSU sophomores Kathleen DaCourte and Ashley Przekopski.

Michaud is already trained and has already conducted his first visit, to an elderly gentleman in town.

“It’s a neat way to reach out to the elderly community,” Michaud said.  “It’s a way for us to reach out to homebound seniors.”

When Michaud visits a male senior citizen who is homebound, it is another outlet for male companionship, Bennett said.

“It’s a male support system [outside of] your family,” Bennett. “Ron got to practice his social work skills.”

Michaud said that when he went to the man’s home, he sat back and “let him dictate what we talked about,” and listened to his life story.

“I sat and listened to him and allowed him to deal with a lot of the stuff he’s been through,” Michaud said. “He seemed pretty happy and has been back [to the senior center] since. I like to think the visit played a part in that.”

The visiting volunteers can also provide seniors with information about programs they might qualify for and assess whether there is anything that they might need, Bennett said.

About five senior citizens have signed up so far and there are at least 10 volunteers on the list. The program is relatively new and and Bennett is looking forward to seeing it grow.

“Just because they are not able to come to center, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t check on them and visit them,” Bennett said. “All of us need that. We need connection.”