SAGE Friendly Visiting Program

THE CHALLENGE

Experts agree that the quality of life in our cities and towns is suffering from a declining sense of community.  No one is affected more by this disconnection than our homebound elderly.  This sense of isolation can be compounded if someone happens to be lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender.

Oftentimes these seniors have little weekly contact with the outside world except for visiting health professionals, and virtually no contact with members of the LGBT community.  Many of them do not have family to support them as they get older, and their support network shrinks and becomes more fragile.

A SOLUTION

Friendly visiting programs are a proven way to alleviate this isolation and rebuild communities across generations.  The SAGE Friendly Visitor program matches volunteers from the community with LGBT seniors in order to form relationships that are mutually rewarding and build community.

"Connie's friendship filled a void I didn't quite realize I had.  And among a lot of things, she has taught me the importance of patience and chocolate cake."

HOW IT WORKS

All Friends at Home are SAGE clients and are seen by a social worker.  When someone calls asking for SAGE's help with social services (either the client, a friend, relative, neighbor or other service provider), a SAGE staff person or social worker visits the home for an initial assessment.  Friendly Visitor referrals are made with the client's consent.  The Program Manager matches the SAGE client with the friendly visitor.

Friendly visitor volunteers are carefully screened and fully trained.  Those who become friendly visitors have made a commitment to at least one year of involvement with the client.  They visit once a week for an hour or two and make calls between visits.  They also attend support group meetings every other month.

“It’s one of the best things that have happened to me since I joined SAGE.  He’s always there for me, every week.”
– Ed, a SAGE member and Friendly Visiting Service recipient

Funding for the SAGE Friendly Visiting Program is provided by: