Older adults come to DOROT looking for companionship and connections. Studies have shown that remote and connections can make a big difference in addressing social isolation and loneliness.
Join DOROT’s Caring Calls Program so you can help, from wherever you are! After an orientation, you will be matched with a DOROT older adult for an eight-week series of weekly friendly phone calls at a mutually convenient time that you will select with your match. This is a great opportunity to share wisdom and friendship with someone of your own or a different generation.
DOROT recently partnered with the New York State Office for the Aging and Aging New York to create a program called Friendly Calls based on our Caring Calls model. This video from the training series explains the issue of social isolation and loneliness and how you can help as a volunteer caller.
Here's what some Caring Calls volunteers have to say about the program:
"Anna was so extremely excited to talk to me. She always talked about her family or many stories of her past experience or even daily occurrences. She is so sweet, and indicated how appreciative she is of these calls. I really enjoyed talking to her." – Sachita
"It is very touching to speak to Evelyn each week. She has such an optimistic outlook on life and although our calls tend to be relatively short (I take her lead in terms of length), she is always so grateful to hear from me and she really brightens my day too!" – Abigail
Age: 18+
Time Commitment: 20-30-minutes per week for eight weeks.
Requirements: Valid US government-issued photo ID, volunteer orientation, references and background check. Volunteers can participate from wherever they live.
Next Steps:
Are you a new volunteer? Please sign up for an upcoming Volunteer Orientation and Information Session below:
If you are a current DOROT volunteer and have already attended an orientation session, contact us at volunteers@dorotusa.org.