For seniors, friendly visiting maintains your connection to the community, facilitates your access to social services, and provides educational and social opportunities. For volunteers, friendly visiting offers the opportunity to cultivate lasting friendship, to learn from a senior’s life experiences and to benefit from the personal satisfaction derived from being a volunteer. Friendly Visiting leads to the creation of meaningful relationships between the seniors and the volunteers which will promote inter-generational understanding.
What are benefits from Friendly Visiting?
Friendly visiting connects you to your community, expands your horizons and provides a variety in your routine.
Other benefits include:
- Mental and physical stimulation which can improve physical, cognitive and emotional health
- Something to look forward to – opportunities to engage in new activities, new conversation and a sense of contributing to community by sharing wisdom, knowledge, talents and stories with others.
Volunteers
People of all ages: youth, adults, young seniors, elders and frail elderly. Everyone can benefit from volunteering. Volunteers also gain new friendships and the opportunity to develop new interests. With active volunteer experience volunteers shine with increased self-esteem as they see the ways in which they make a positive difference and impact people lives.
Benefits
- Rewarding relationships
- An opportunity to practice skills and develop interpersonal communication like listening, expressing compassion and empathy
- Experiences new activities and interests
Life purpose
Explore and learn culture and history
Increased sensitivity to the needs of seniors and a better attitude towards aging