Companion program helps seniors stay in their homes

June and William Smith have shared many memories during their many decades together.

Memories from when they met — he was a physical therapist and she came to him with back problems and headaches.

Memories of their four children, one of whom died from cancer in 1993 and three more who have each found their own unique place in the world.

Memories saved up in their Lincoln County home, which June designed herself on a budget, full of panoramic views of the Kentucky countryside.

Memories of William's love for sailboats and June's love of photography and art.

Memories from the early 1990s, when William had to have a brain tumor removed that had wrapped itself, according to doctors, "like wet tissue paper" around nerves controlling his hearing and speaking.

Memories of Lincoln County school plays, which they now like to attend whenever the chance arises, even though William now attends in a wheelchair.

But among their myriad of memories, neither has experienced having to leave their home behind for a long-term care facility, something June said is due in no small part to the Senior Companion program serving Lincoln County.

"It helps me out a lot," she said. "It's been a real Godsend."

June and William — their names have been changed in this article to protect their privacy — are two of close to 50 people in Lincoln who benefit from the program, which pairs volunteers over the age of 55 with clients who need in-home assistance during their day-to-day lives.

The local Senior Companion program, which is sponsored by Blue Grass Community Action Partnership and funded substantially by Heart of Kentucky United Way and matching federal dollars, serves Lincoln and 9 other counties.

It's one of three Senior Companion programs in the state, which together serve fewer than a third of Kentucky's counties.

"Out of 120 counties, we are pretty fortunate," said Janet Gates, director of training and volunteer programs for the community action partnership. "Knowing that these volunteers are giving so much from their own lives to help somebody in need — it's just an amazing program."

Gates said volunteers go through 40 hours of training before they can be paired with a senior citizen in need.

Volunteers then usually spend 20 hours a week with their clients, cleaning, doing laundry, cooking, driving their clients to appointments or to get medicine, or even just providing some company.

The ultimate goal is to let seniors who would otherwise need nursing home care to stay in their homes, where they want to be, Gates said.

Along the way to that goal, there are many other benefits from the program, Gates pointed out.

Volunteers, who are often seniors living on a fixed income themselves, can receive a small stipend of $2.65 per hour and mileage reimbursement, giving them a little bit of disposable income that doesn't affect their eligibility for other financial assistance, she said.

And by keeping low-income seniors in their homes, the program prevents the cost of nursing home stays from falling on government social safety nets like medicare.

"When you think about the big picture, if we can save ten people a year from going into a nursing home … that's pretty huge because those costs of nursing home placements quickly turn into taxpayer dollars," Gates said.