Governance Training for Young Leaders
WHO BENEFITS: The Whole Community!
Elderly clients are a vulnerable segment of the population. They are older than 60 and have chronic aging problems that are causing decreased mobility and loss of control over their lives. Most live alone and are in financial need. They often cannot afford to pay for help.
However, with a relatively small amount of assistance (just 2 to 4 hours) per week our elderly clients can continue to live at home with dignity and independence. The help of an advocate increases their confidence and self esteem and significantly improves their quality of life.
Role in Volunteer Caregiving
There are many benefits to giving back to the community. One way in particular is serving a local caregiving organization. The role of caregiving is regularly looking after someone that is in need of help and services that they otherwise would not be able to do on their own. The role that a community ambassador has in relation to volunteer caregiving is making connections within the community or other organizations in hopes of bettering their program. This role is very important. All communities should be aware of those that may need and benefit from their help. How would they know that they could help make a difference if they did not know there was a need?
Some people may want to help but think they are not qualified or have any specific skills that would benefit anybody and the community ambassador could describe the vast array of ways to be a phenomenal volunteer. The advocacy role in relation to volunteer caregiving is that they are giving a voice to these people and advocating for them and their needs. The advocacy role helps ensure that the right programs and people are in place. This person would also convey what the people in need of help really want or do not want. Not everybody has the same need or limitation that would need to be addressed. Safety and respect are of the utmost of importance for the advocate to monitor and provide.
Importance of Volunteer Caregiving
There are many important factors in giving back to one’s community. It gives the elderly more opportunities to socialize with other people within the community and still feel a part of it as well. Often the elderly community are very lonely. Their families are busy and don’t visit much and their friend circle is diminishing due to their own age and health as well. Having a smiling face, patient demeanor and who is a good listener can make a person’s day. It also helps with giving the elderly the opportunity to feel independent and in control of their own lives. A volunteer caregiver helps them with their health needs such as physical limitations and taking medications at the right times. This is very important, it is so easy to forget to take meds or they may even take the wrong meds at the wrong time. This would only cause more problems. Still living a healthy lifestyle, and keeping up with healthy hygiene is a priority for everybody, especially the elderly in the community. Overall, it helps with the elderly feeling that they still have a purpose and place in their community. We all need to feel capable and a part of something bigger than any of their limitations.
Finding A Voice
It is very important to understand the community’s issues in order to help advocate for them. Such as understanding the needs of the elderly in the community. You will also need to learn how to communicate the need for more caregivers. You will need to understand wanting to make a change for the elderly by wanting to better their conditions. A volunteer will also need to explain to other community members and other potential volunteers the understanding of the importance of giving back to the community. Lastly, you will need to have your own understanding and knowledge of the programs’ future goals.
“Out of the goodness of our hearts, sometimes the most simple acts of kindness can have the greatest impact on a person’s life”
– Caregivers
Importance of Your Organization’s Mission
Organizations strive to advocate the importance of their mission to the whole community. Their mission statement often being that they promote the health, well-being, dignity, and independence of vulnerable, homebound elders through one-on-one relationships with trusted volunteers. Being an advocate benefits both the elderly community and the advocate. It is just as important to feel needed as those who may need help. An advocate wants to educate others on the program and their mission to help the elderly in their community. They do this in hopes of recruiting more advocates by showing them the benefits it could have on a person’s life. They also strive to spread awareness of the mission and the challenges they may face. Their overall goal is to have more community members involved with their program giving back to their community.
Outreach
Be proud to perform and be apart of networking opportunities that could better assist the National Volunteer Caregiving Network in getting their name and ideas out there. Some examples of these opportunities are joining BNI (Business networking International), joining your local Chamber of Commerce and having a booth at a community event in your area. Each of these are ways to engage with community members and establish new ideas to becoming an ambassador and advocate for this organization.
Community Touch Points
Volunteer Caregiving needs advocates in numerous areas throughout your community:
-
-
- Congregations where the VCO can provide volunteer coordination to vulnerable populations
- Corporations where employees may be struggling to care for young children and aging parents
- Working with the healthcare community to provide support throughout an individual’s aging journey
- Serving on advisory councils such as the local Area Agency on Aging or local councils.
- Working with the local transportation commission to better understand the growing needs of seniors and individuals with disabilities.
-
Learning About Who You Are Caring For & Their Needs
As an advocate and ambassador, you will be caring for and assisting seniors and people with disabilities. The typical program operates on $350,000 per year and serves around 560 clients. There are about 300 volunteers in this program. And more than 350,000 seniors and people with disabilities benefit from volunteer caregiving. As a whole, volunteer caregiving is provided in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands.
Acts of Services
A few acts of services volunteers can assist in are providing transportation for the seniors and people with disabilities. This is in high demand. Transportation accounts for almost 2 million trips per year, which are mostly medical-related. Another act of service is resident-based, meaning assisting seniors and people with disabilities at home with their health needs and non-professional services, such as running errands or taking medication. As an advocate and ambassador, you will not only have to understand the process of providing care for these seniors and people with disabilities, you will also be able to encourage your peers to participate as well as give back to the community, and engage in diverse communities.
Ethics of Advocacy
The utmost important aspect of advocacy is the consent of the client. As an advocate, we have to ask ourselves: when is advocacy okay? A client who does not wish to have their voice elevated is well within their right to do so. Likewise if a client has a need that must be addressed, it is within the advocate’s responsibility to address it the best way that they can. Just remember, any action taken in the name of a client must align with the wishes of the client and be done with their consent..
As an advocate, you hold several responsibilities towards your clients. Advocates must:
-
- maintain the dignity, privacy, and safety of their clients.
- treat all their clients with the same degree of respect and honesty.
- work in a timely manner with their clients.
- elevate the voice of those under their care.
- inform clients of any applicable physical, social, or medical opportunities.
- understand laws regarding their position and uphold them.
As an advocate, you represent the organization and its beliefs. Any actions that you take, positive or negative, reflect upon the organization. Remember to take consideration of how your actions reflect upon the organization. Actions taken should align with the mission of Caregivers and reflect positively on the organization and yourself. One way to understand how your actions might affect the organization, when making decisions take a moment to reflect on how your actions reflect upon yourself. Opinion-based actions involving politics or religion are discouraged. Remember to remain politically and religiously neutral in your interactions while representing the organization.
Spreading the Message
Networking, attending local events, social media marketing, and building a database of clients to connect with are all ways you can help spread the information that NVCN delivers. Individuals who network are better prepared to discuss the nonprofit sector at any moment. You never know who could be looking for volunteer opportunities or who might want caregiving assistance. Attending local events allows you to put your presence out there or set up a booth to enlighten people about the services you provide. Social media marketing enables you to keep up with social media updates and disseminate fresh information to the public. Everyone nowadays uses their phones to find what they need. People are more likely to contact you if your social media presence is clean, interesting, and inviting. Finally, make sure to collect business cards from any and all possible clients or volunteers at local or networking events. This way, you may give them a follow-up email or call, and they’ll be added to your database for future event invites or newsletters. Keeping people in your community involved may help your nonprofit to stay relevant and top of mind when consumers are seeking for a product or service you offer.
Sample Talking Points
The Nation
- 2020: First time in history that People Over 65 outnumber Children under 5.
- 2040: Seniors are 21.7% of the U.S. Population
- Social Security constituted 90% or more of the income received by 35% of the beneficiaries in 2013
- Volunteer Caregiving is now represented in nearly 1,000 program troughout the U.S.
Elder Orphans
- 2015 Census: 42.8% of older Americans are aging alone and lacking family or support that would take care of them
- A majority of elder orphans are women. In the updated 2015 census, the percentage of older people living alone had doubled since the last count.
Philanthropy
- Only 1% of total U.S. giving is directed to Aging/Seniors, according to the Foundation Center
- By contrast, 28% goes to projects for children and youth.
Faith-Based
- The National Congregations Study by Duke University tracks more than 300,000 congregations in the United States
How do other organizations operate?
Creating an environment that is supportive is ideal in operating a successful organization. People generally want to support and volunteer for organizations that appreciate their employees. By creating a supportive environment for volunteers it is likely that this will go a long way and your message will be spread. In doing so you can become a favorable ambassador and advocate for Your Organization through forming partnerships with other organizations. Outside organizations should not be seen as competition but as tools to learn from and connect with like minded individuals. By forming partnerships you can expand the reach of your marketing efforts and this can provide advantages. Outside organizations stay engaged with their stakeholders by reaching out, establishing contacts and proposing collaboration efforts. There are several different management styles and structures an organization can employ. These structures include functional organization, matrix or team-based models and service line management. A good example of a well provided structure implements sections of all three of these structures is the mission that Caregivers offers is “to create independent living through the advocacy, support and development of local Volunteer Caregiving Programs”. By staying true to this message you can create a community that you are proud of and that helps the community around you.
Ventura the Good Truck
Suggested Readings
https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/basics/info-2020/advocate-for-aging-parents.html
This article from the AARP can help show what advocacy looks like in practice.
https://www.camhpra.com/ethical-principles
This webpage, although for mental health patients’ rights advocates, are still good guidelines for ethical practice in advocacy.
