Friendly Visiting
Volunteer visitors provide companionship and friendship to seniors and adults with special needs who feel lonely and isolated in their homes.
During weekly visits arranged at a mutually agreed upon time, visitors might chat, play games or take their friend to the mall or out for coffee.
- Annabelle Ritchie pictured with her friendly visitor Dolores Sedlmeir.
Features and Benefits
- Helps to ease feelings of loneliness and promote independance
- Caring, friendly volunteers are matched with clients
- Friendly visitors often become true friends
Schedule
The client and volunteer meet once a week for 2-3 hours at a mutually agreed upon time.
Cost
There is no charge for this service.
Meet a Friendly Visiting Match
Karen Critchley has been a Friendly Visiting Volunteer with Community Support Connections since 2008.
I asked myself, “Do I have time to volunteer?” “Am I capable of jumping into another commitment when I have a husband, family, grandchildren and a full-time job?” I met with the passionate people at Community Support Connections and was both intrigued by this wonderful organization and instantly caught up in their enthusiasm.
In my role as Friendly Visitor, I have had the extreme good fortune to be matched with a wonderful woman named Waltraud. She is very young at heart, with an amusing sense of humour and a fierce determination to remain in her home. In our many chats together I learned of her tenacity during the war and her lifelong devotion to her family. With her husband deceased and her surviving siblings residing in Germany, she finds herself alone.
We begin our weekly visits with a warm embrace. There is plenty of chatter and laughter no matter what we are doing.
Whether it is looking for the correct size of faucet washers in Home Hardware or high tea at Langdon Hall, we both enjoy each other’s company. I say we “both” enjoy each other’s company because in my role as volunteer I have come to realize the unexpected benefits for me personally. I see the delight on her face when I arrive and this joy is matched by my own happiness when I see her. I know what I do makes a difference and that in turn enriches my life.
