Alice lives by herself, has no family in the area or access to a telephone, and has lost her eyesight due to glaucoma.  Yet 80-year-old Alice is thriving, and gives much of the credit to her Senior Companion, Fausta Sawal and Volunteers of America Senior Companion Program.

Knowing that Fausta will be visiting each week, Alice is able to live independently in her own apartment, instead of being victim to her circumstances, and has a supportive link to the outside world.  The two enjoy taking walks, riding the bus, going to the market, having lunch and listening to Alice’s audiotapes. Fausta also assists Alice with light chores such as laundry, recycling and reading her mail.  The two have reorganized Alice’s apartment so that she is able to find items safely and easily on her own.  Now, Alice is able to live like she did when she could see.

Accumulated wisdom and experience makes seniors a huge community asset

We know that as individuals grow older, their accumulated knowledge, experience and perspective become a huge asset to the community. Each day, however, more and more Puget Sound area seniors and adults with disabilities struggle to live independent, active and dignified lives.

For many seniors, the ability to remain independently in their homes, with the self-confidence and satisfaction that comes from that, is out of reach. Our Senior Companion Program helps to bridge that gap, enabling a growing number of seniors to live on their own.  Our companions - seniors themselves - provide high-quality personal assistance with everyday tasks, encouraging participants to remain healthy, active and involved, eliminating many of the feelings of depression and isolation that seniors and adults with disabilities often experience. Enabling clients to live in their own homes saves individuals thousands of dollars from institutional care costs.

Companions also provide much-needed respite care for primary caregivers of family members with a serious illness.  Carmen, whose mother, Josefine, is a Senior Companion client, understands this all too well and is thankful for her mother’s companion.  "Peggy offers more than a break in my week - she brings her friendship, both to my mother and to me.  In a nutshell, Peggy (a senior companion) provides my sanity every week.  Her time with Mom helps me to get all of my weekly grocery shopping done...four hours are the only extended time I have away from the house."

Senior companionship is a growing need in the region

This is a growing need in King County, yet few are aware of it or ready to respond.  Volunteers of America’s Senior Companion Program recognizes this need, providing support to nearly 300 area seniors with a waiting list of hundreds of clients.  We know that our seniors, absolutely one of our community’s greatest assets, deserve to feel safe, secure, self-sufficient and cared for.  After all, they probably spent a lifetime caring for us.

Get involved!  Whether you are a candidate for our services, want to be a Senior Companion or simply want to make an impact on the lives of seniors, email us or contact us at:

Volunteers of America Senior Companion Program
Community Resource Center: 9041 Greenwood Ave N
Seattle, WA  98103
Phone: 206-329-0515
Fax: 206-362-5735