Role Details

When you volunteer at Elder Help Peel you have real impact. It takes all of us to take on social isolation and loneliness that affects many seniors.

Volunteers must speak  proficient English plus any of the following languages, an asset: Arabic, Cantonese, Creole, Dutch, German, Gujarati, French, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Malayalam, Mandarin, Patois (West Indies/Jamaican), Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Romanian, Spanish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, Yoruba.

Weekly Social Visits

Volunteers will be responsible for establishing and maintaining regular weekly 1-hour visits with assigned seniors for the purpose of providing 30 min. of social interactions plus 30 min. of EHP’s telephone social programs during visits to provide companionship, friendship, and a connection with their community.

Regular weekly in-person social visits to assigned clients take place from Monday through Sunday between 10:00am to 7:00pm for 1 hour per weekly visit (excluding travel time to/from site location). The visits are mutually scheduled between both the volunteer and the senior match or their caregiver.

Maintain regular communication, and report any health, psychosocial, or safety concerns for assigned clients to the volunteer coordinator via weekly online visit reports. Visit reports will include information such as date and duration of visits, concerns and volunteer experience.

Qualifications

• Able to speak English plus any other languages is needed
• Good English verbal/written communication skills
• Consistent and dependable weekly availability
• Ability to initiate and sustain conversation
• Provide weekly visit reports to the supervisor on a weekly basis
• Good computer skills to be able to use the internet and communicate via email, and completing online forms with the supervisor
• Fun loving, outgoing personality
• Pleasant, happy demeanor • Punctual, reliable, and organized
• Respect, patience, and understanding of seniors
• Must be willing to travel to/from senior’s place of residence within Peel Region
  

Other

• Be age 20+ to be matched with seniors
• Attend a virtual, online 45-minute interview
• Provide two Canadian references.
• Provide a current Canadian Vulnerable Screening Check naming Elder Help Peel as the Agency
• Provide copy of Proof of COVID-19 Vaccination (2 doses min.) accepted by Canadian Ministry of Health
• Must complete the volunteer orientation and training sessions prior to being matched to seniors
  

Your commitment

• Availability of at least one 1 hour per week for a minimum 6-month commitment.