Athens Community Council on Aging
Volunteer Opportunities
Carol Kurtz, Volunteer Extraordinaire
GeorgiaCares Volunteer Opportunities
GeorgiaCares offers many opportunities to fit the schedule and personalities of volunteers. No prior knowledge or experience of Medicare, Medicaid, or other types of health insurance is necessary. Training is provided!
Hotline Counselor Volunteer
•Provide health insurance counseling and assistance to Medicare beneficiaries and/or their representatives who call. Also provide information on Medicare and related health insurance, prescription assistance and/or health insurance waste, error or abuse.
Community Education Volunteer
•Give GeorgiaCares presentations to Medicare beneficiaries and their representatives as well as other concerned groups regarding public/private health insurance issues, including fraud, error, abuse, supplemental and long term care insurance, etc.
Publicity and Outreach Volunteer
•Publicize the GeorgiaCares program and inform appropriate individuals, groups and communities about services and volunteer opportunities in GeorgiaCares.
Data Entry Volunteer
•Enter required data for the GeorgiaCares program into the computerized Aging Information Management System (AIMS).
Office Administration Volunteer
•Provide administrative and clerical support to the GeorgiaCares program.
Home Delivered Meals Volunteer Opportunities
All meals are delivered by volunteers who are specifically trained in at least one meal route. There are two types of volunteers in the Home Delivered Meals program.
•Regular volunteers typically commit to meal delivery one day per week.
•Substitute volunteers are those people unable to commit to a specific day but are still interested in helping on an as-needs basis. Substitute volunteers are trained in at least one route and deliver when the regular volunteer is otherwise unable to do so.
Requirements:
To become a volunteer, individuals must have a valid driver’s license, use their own vehicle for delivery and pass a criminal background check. We ask that all volunteers make a commitment of at least five months.
For each new volunteer, an initial orientation is held in the office with the Home Delivered Meals Program Coordinator. On the day of the week the volunteer has chosen, the Program Coordinator, Program Specialist or another volunteer familiar with the route accompanies the new volunteer during delivery. During the initial route training, the new volunteer is instructed on directions to the client’s home, trained in the delivery procedure and introduced to each client. The new volunteer will be accompanied on the route as many times as needed until the volunteer is comfortable enough to take it alone.
Volunteers are never sent out without complete orientation and training.
All meals are prepared, packaged and ready for pick up when the volunteers arrive each morning. Volunteers can arrive at the office anytime between 10-11:30am to pick up their food and deliver their assigned route.
Most meal routes take 1-1 ½ hours to complete. Those volunteers aged 55 and older are automatically signed up with the Council on Aging’s Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (R.S.V.P.). Through this program volunteers hours count not only for the Home Delivered Meals Program, but also for R.S.V.P.