Catholic Charities’ Senior Companion Program aims to dispel loneliness and isolation in seniors

Josephine Simmons said she and her good friend Karen Stromberger of Bolingbrook are as different as friends can be.

Simmons, 64, of Crest Hill, said she is African American, belongs to an apostolic church and has “very different” political and religious views than Stromberger, who is Catholic, white and 82.

That’s why Simmons is thankful for Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet’s Senior Companion Program.

“I probably would never have met her if I wasn’t in the program,” Simmons said.

Simmons said her daughter helped enroll Simmons five years ago after Simmons’ husband died.

Simmons said she is blind in one eye because of her diabetes and that Stromberger does “everything” for her. Stromberger takes her shopping, out to lunch and even to the emergency department, Simmons said.

Mostly, they talk, which Simmons loves.

“We have different opinions but she helps me to understand her opinion and I share my opinion,” Simmons said. “We don’t always agree but we agree to disagree.”

Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet’s Senior Companion Program is a volunteer-run program designed to help end isolation and loneliness in seniors while maintaining their independence, according to Bry Williams, Senior Companion Program manager.

So to that end, both clients and companions are seniors. Volunteers must be 55 or older. If they are low-income, they also may qualify for a stipend, mileage and meal reimbursements, Williams said.

“The program is meant to create a cycle where people are aging well,” Williams said, “and, in turn, help those who are older and lonely, to live longer and independently in their homes as long as they can.”

However, neither volunteers nor clients must be low income to qualify, Williams said.

“We also have a number of individuals who just want to make a difference in the community,” Williams said. “And we are very happy to have them as well.”

Kathy Schweikart, coordinator of the Senior Companion Program, said because volunteers are not medical professionals, senior clients receive a thorough intake before they participate. For instance, are they a fall risk? Can they get in and out of the car by themselves?

“That doesn’t mean the volunteer could not fold up the walker and put it in the back seat,” Schweikart said. “But if we are doing transportation, they need to be able to get in and out of the car because our volunteers don’t have wheelchair lifts or accessible vans.”

But such challenges don’t disqualify senior clients from the program

“They’re still eligible for friendly visits in the home,” Schweikart said. “It all depends on what they’re able to do.”

Schweikart said all volunteers attend a 20-hour training program. When training is completed, volunteers are then matched with clients.

“Because we are serving elderly clients, [volunteers] all pass a background checking in addition to the training so every senior can feel comfortable that this person is someone that they would want in their home,” Schweikart said.

Visits are pre-arranged rather than spontaneous, so both clients and volunteers can plan for the time, Schweikart said. Of course, more visits can always be scheduled if the client would like them and the volunteer is available, Schweikart said.

Currently, the senior companion program only has 38 volunteers with 80 to 90 currently on the waiting list, so more volunteers are needed, Williams said. Some of the volunteers serve more than one senior client, Williams said. However each client always sees the same volunteer, Schweikart said.

“We are constantly even doing outreach to get new volunteers to serve those clients,” Williams said.

Schweikart said volunteers are typically matched with clients within 10 miles of the volunteer’s home and with clients who have similar interests. The goal is for the companions to spend five hours a week together, although 15 hours is ideal, Schweikart said.

This helps volunteers develop meaningful relationships with the clients by engaging in activities that are important to the clients, Williams said. Activities can range from shopping, transportation to medical appointments and seeing movies, Williams said. One client looked forward to clothes shopping. That client didn’t drive and hadn’t gone in 15 years, Williams said.

“Our volunteer was able to take her to the mall and get new clothes, which boosted her morale,” Williams said.

Other clients simply want to talk, listen to music or share photographs, Schweikart said.

If low-income seniors need other services, such as transportation and home-delivered meals, Catholic Charities can work to connect them with additional resources, Williams said.

“Our volunteers are just amazingly caring individuals,” Schweikart said. “I’m constantly in awe for their kindness and just their ability to be there and connect with our clients.”

Stromberger said she started volunteering three days a week in Catholic Charities’ human resources department 11 years ago when she was laid off from her job. She later transitioned into the Senior Companion Program.

At first, Stromberger saw six clients a week. Now she sees just two. But all relationships were long-term and many lasted until the client died, she said. Stromberger said her clients are like family, Stromberger said. They encourage each other, especially on “bad days,” she added.

“I don’t know what I’d do without them,” Stromberger said. “They get me out; they keep me moving.”

For information about the Senior Companion Program, contact Williams at 815-933-7791, extension 9928 or email bwilliams@cc-doj.org.