In this blog, Erin Long, who leads ACL’s Alzheimer’s Disease Programs Initiative, and Melissa Hunter, from the ACL-funded National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center, reflect on ways ACL’s dementia grantees are broadening their reach and serving more people living with dementia and their caregivers by training and engaging volunteers.
ACL funds dementia programs in states and communities across the nation through the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Programs Initiative (ADPI). While each program reflects the community in which it is based, one characteristic many of them share is a commitment to including local volunteers in their programming in ways that reflect the needs of the community. For example, in Alabama, volunteers support and engage with older adults in a faith-based respite care program. Meanwhile, in California, volunteers help translate materials into Japanese and Korean.
As we observe Volunteer Appreciation Month, we recognize that volunteers are an integral part of the aging and disability networks. We wanted to highlight how volunteers are strengthening ACL-funded programs that empower and assist people with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders, as well as their caregivers.
The effects of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias can be devastating both for people living with the disease and for their family caregivers. Because dementia is a progressive condition, the needs of those living with it, and their caregivers, increase over time. A well-trained corps of volunteers can go a long way in addressing the increasing needs of older adults living in the community, and their caregivers. Recruiting, training, and engaging volunteers is one way organizations can broaden the reach of their services and increase program impact.
A report released last year by the ACL-funded National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center highlights the ways some ADPI grantees have expanded the reach of their dementia-related work through volunteer engagement. The report, Administration on Aging Grantee Engagement of Volunteers in Dementia Activities, focused on six ADPI grantees that have engaged volunteers in interesting and impactful ways and provides readers with resources and tools that they can use in their own work.
According to the report, ACL grantees engaged volunteers in four key ways:
- Service Delivery: Volunteers supported several types of service delivered directly to people living with dementia and caregivers. Some examples of volunteer engagement in service delivery include in-home respite and companionship services, support group facilitation, outreach for socialization programs, memory café support, and care navigation assistance for individuals and families. Middle Alabama Area Agency on Aging (M4A) leans heavily on volunteers in the operation of its respite program. The design of this day program promotes cognitive stimulation, social engagement, and physical health. Volunteers at M4A’s respite program actively participate in group and one-on-one activities with people living with dementia. More experienced volunteers can lead or plan activities.
- Identification of Program Participants: Volunteers can also provide community members with referrals to dementia programs. These volunteers often have direct contact with people who may be eligible for dementia programs and may already be going into homes or know the community well. Amazing Place established the Faith Care Connection program to train faith-based volunteers how to identify older adults living with dementia. Volunteers learned more about dementia and its signs and symptoms and how to make referrals to dementia programs provided by the grantee. Volunteers were empowered to make those connections to services for people within their own congregations.
- Community Education: Community education is another activity that relies on volunteer support. Typical goals of community education are to increase awareness of dementia, decrease stigma, and build skills for engaging with people living with dementia and their caregivers. The Massachusetts Council on Aging, in partnership with the Massachusetts/New Hampshire Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, developed and trained Family Support Volunteers across Massachusetts to provide dementia education and expand support for families of people living with dementia. These volunteers were responsible for presenting dementia education at community events, organizing activities for those with early-stage dementia, and facilitating support groups.
- Outreach Support: A variety of other volunteer roles help grantees carry out their work. Some people are skilled at graphic design and could be great at developing marketing and outreach materials. Others may enjoy sending reminders to program participants to increase attendance. Volunteers with Little Tokyo Service Center (LTSC) help translate/interpret program materials into Japanese and Korean. LTSC chose to recruit volunteers because of the high volume of documents they needed to translate. Volunteers do the first round of translations, and LTSC staff review for accuracy and tone. Volunteers may also be asked to review documents after a translation.
These are just a few of the ways volunteers strengthen programs and — through their engagement — contribute to the improvement of the lives of people living with dementia.
To the many volunteers doing this important work on the ground, we say thank you. And to ACL grantees and other organizations considering incorporating volunteers into their programs, we hope these examples and lessons will inspire you to consider how recruiting and training volunteers from the local community can help you increase your program’s impact.