Become A Volunteer
Senior Peer Support Program
Senior Peer Support Clients are often coping with depression, grief, loss and anxiety as well as loneliness and isolation. Due to the complex needs of the seniors, training covers a broad range of senior’s issues, to equip the volunteers with the skills necessary. JSA provides Senior Peer Support training of 55 hours, two times per year, via 4 hour long Zoom sessions.
Upon successfully completing the training, the graduates receive a Senior Peer Support Certificate.
Senior Peer Support Volunteers provide emotional support to seniors if they are experiencing:
- Loneliness and Isolation
- Grief and Loss
- Housing transition or relocation
- Health-related challenges and aging concerns
- A need to connect to their community
- Depression and anxiety
- Isolation from friends and family
- Lack of awareness regarding community resources
Volunteers support by:
- Visiting in your home
- Not judging
- Not advising
- Helping seniors understand their issues and finding coping skills and strategies
JSA provides on-going peer support training sessions consisting of 55 hours. Upon successfully completing intensive training and project work, the graduates receive a certificate from Senior Peer Counseling of BC.
- Be age 55 or older.
- Willing to embrace new ideas and be respectful of others.
- Able to commit to spending one hour a week with your senior client.
- Interested in helping a senior who is experiencing age-related challenges.
- Complete 55 hours of training and upon completion of training, attend monthly support and educational sessions.
- Provide two reference checks.
- All volunteers are required to compete a current Criminal Record Check.
If you're interested in volunteering, please fill out this form:
You will receive an email containing application forms to submit.
Once we begin to process your application, you will receive an email to let you know that your references will be contacted.
Once all your references are complete, we will be in touch to register you for a virtual training session.
After you attend training, your Volunteer Coordinator will schedule an interview with you.
Finally, your application will be reviewed for acceptance.
Once accepted, your Volunteer Coordinator will begin to look for a Senior Client to match you with. Our intention is to create meaningful and long-lasting matches, as such we try our best to consider your preferences and the needs of your Senior Client. We try to match you with a client who lives in your area that has similar interests as you.
Your Volunteer Coordinator will provide you and your Senior Client with ongoing support and check-ins during your match.
Friendly Visiting and Calling Program
JSA provides trained volunteers to make regularly scheduled home visits and/or phone calls to seniors who are experiencing loneliness and social isolation. The services are designed to reduce feelings of isolation and to promote connection and/or re-entry into the community at large. These visits, at times, may include walking.
This program requires a commitment of one hour per week for a minimum of one year.
Generally, the visits take place in the seniors home or in the community. Some clients and volunteers find friendly phone calls are helpful in addition to/or along with friendly visiting.
JSA provides trained volunteers to make regularly scheduled home visits to seniors who express loneliness and social isolation. The services are designed to reduce feelings of isolation and to promote connection and/or re-entry into the community at large.
- The Friendly Visitor services allow time for conversation, companionship and social support. The visits may take place either in clients’ own homes or in the greater community.
- Friendly visitors may accompany clients to medical appointments and social and cultural functions.
- Help with one-to-one supported walking in the community.
Volunteers keep in close touch with the JSA Volunteer Coordinators and attend regular Educational and Support Sessions. Any concerns about the senior's health and or well-being must be reported as soon as possible and if necessary, additional resources can be explored.
- Be age 18 or older, male or female, non-binary, transgender or gender-diverse individual.
- Mature, stable, reliable and respectful of others.
- Canadian resident for the past year (or able able to provide an International Criminal Records Check).
- Able to commit to spending one hour a week with your senior client for at least six months to one year. Yes, occasional vacations and work travel is fine!
- Interested in helping a senior who is experiencing loneliness and isolation.
- Complete 18 hours of training.
- Provide two reference checks.
- All volunteers are required to compete a current Criminal Record Check.
- As we work with vulnerable populations, vaccinations are highly recommended.
If you're interested in volunteering, please fill out this form: