The La Fe’s Senior Companion Program gives a unique opportunity for volunteers (over 55) to provide companionship to a fellow senior or someone with a disability. According to the American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, 13.3% of the population in El Paso County, Texas has a disability. This means that there are approximately 111,559 people in El Paso with a disability. The elderly population in El Paso is also significant, with 16.5% of the population being 65 years of age or older. This means that there are approximately 133,361 people in El Paso who are elderly. In total, there are approximately 244,920 people in El Paso who have a disability or are elderly. This represents a significant portion of the population.
The elderly and individuals with disabilities population is at a high risk of social isolation and loneliness. This is due to several factors, such as acquiring a new disability, living on a fixed income, lack of family support or a language barrier.
The La Fe’s Senior Companion Program pairs a volunteer with an elderly or someone with a disability for 20 hours a week. The volunteer can do various tasks such as playing cards, board games or dominoes with a participant, engage in “small” talk, watch, or listen to the participant’s favorite show, or even prepare a small lunch. This program is at no cost to the participant!
If you are interested in being a volunteer and are at least 55years old, you must complete an initial application along with passing a criminal background check. You should be available to volunteer 20 hours a week. In addition, if you are chosen to be a volunteer, you may be eligible to get compensated; for further information please call (915) 532-9639.
You can get more information about La Fe’s Senior Companion Program by clicking here.
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About The Accessibility Corner
Longtime community activist, George Zavala, writes about the disability community in El Paso in The Accessibility Corner. In each article, Zavala writes about the issues faced by those who live with disabilities, the resources available to the disabled community and he addresses how government policy affects those who have a disability.