Larimer County Service Challenges by PAFC

Background on Key Service Challenges Affecting Older Adults in Larimer County

In May 2023 The Partnership for Age-Friendly Communities (PAFC) gathered a group of local non-pro t agencies who serve Larimer County elders as they strive to remain independent in their own homes. Sta shared a number of challenges faced by their clients which are inadequately supported in our community. Of those challenges we selected six to share with local stakeholders by way of facilitated conversations. We want to explore how the broader community might partner with non-pro t services in helping us all successfully age in place.

The following pages provide a brief introduction to each of these six chosen issues. They are by no means the only issues but they might serve as a starting point for greater community engagement in tackling the challenges of growing old.

Service Challenges

I. Information and Referral II. Accessible Housing III. Care Management IV. Mobility V. Patient Education VI Volunteerism

Information and Referral in Larimer County

Any of us who have the opportunity to personally experience late life will likely need some level of assistance managing its challenges. While adult children may be a major resource if they are available, the ultimate need for outside services to help maintain a healthy and independent lifestyle is almost inevitable. A reliable system of information and referral (INR) are essential to identifying and securing those services. While central hub systems with comprehensive lists of available services for older adults is basic to INR, resources to help identify and connect with the range and combination of reliable services appropriate to an individual’s circumstances provide added bene t.

BACKGROUND In the early 80’s, the primary central source of information and referral for older adults resided with the Larimer County O ce on Aging(LCOA) and sta ed by a half time sta position answering phone inquiries and updating and publishing an annual Answers on Aging book listing services and phone numbers by category of service. These were distributed to provider o ces throughout the County. The County Dept of Human services later initiated a program named First Call, a phone based information and referral service designed to respond to inquiries from County residents - not limited to older adults. LCOA provided training to First Call responders and established a system whereby all calls regarding aging issues were initially handled by First Call. Caller needs that went beyond the purview of First Call responders were referred to LCOA. Some time in the mid-eighties a group of private and nonpro t providers from a variety of disciplines - legal, mental health, medical, care management, etc - formed a network called the Elder Care Network of Northern Colorado. Their purpose was to actively network with each other and to collectively educate the community of family caregivers about available services. They maintained an informative website and conducted a variety of public educational events addressing a multitude of caregiver issues. It was a very active group for over 30 years supported primarily by membership dues. The organization ultimately disbanded in 2020 at the start of the Covid era when the level of membership could no longer sustain their mission.

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In 2003 United Way established the 211 system which is still operating today. It superseded First Call and in its early form included a local call center with connections to local services but ultimately was incorporated into a statewide call center located in

Denver. It continues to provide referrals by county and is intended as a tool for connecting individuals with a wide range of community resources, including housing assistance, food programs, healthcare services, and more. It has become part of the state's e orts to support and connect residents with the services they need. Information can be accessed online or by phone. In 2005, the CO Department of Human Services obtained a federal grant to design and start the implementation process of Aging and Disability Resource Centers, creating Aging and Disability Resources for Colorado (ADRC). The local ADRC is managed by LCOA and is a source of information on the full range of long-term services and support options including Information and referrals to public and non-pro t programs, services, and resources. They are accessed by phone or email

In the early 2000’s LCOA subscribed to a national online database service called Network of Care, a service provided locally by Area Agencies on Aging throughout the country. It categorizes local resources and provides up-to-date online information. However, after several years of utilization, the LCOA no longer had the resources needed to fund the subscription and keep the information current and so canceled their subscription.

WHERE ARE WE NOW? 211 sponsored by United Way is still available via a call center located in Denver. They work with local agencies to keep information current but referrals are limited to public and non-pro t services. They are not limited to providing information on older adult services. Larimer County ADRC (Aging and Disability Resources for Colorado) is a trusted source of information on the full range of long-term services and support options. Information and referrals to programs, services, and resources as well as navigating options for older adults and adults living with a disability is available. Services are provided at no cost. The ADRC can also provide Application Assistance, Options Counseling, Transition Services, Caregiver supports, an In home service voucher and chore voucher program. As a government service they are limited in recommending private resources but have extensive knowledge of local public and nonpro t services and assistance. LCOA annually updates the Answers on Aging guide, a comprehensive listing of local services targeting older adults. It is freely available in hardcopy at various public drop-o points and in downloadable pdf format online. It is extremely comprehensive with over 800 listings. Some categories do have references to private services that specialize in serving older adults, although most are to public and non-pro t agencies.

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Senior Access Points is a partnership between the Larimer County O ce of Colorado State University Extension, CSU Department of Human Development and Family Studies, the Partnership for Age-Friendly Communities, and the Larimer County O ce on Aging. They maintain an online database of local resources. However, they too focus primarily on public and non-pro t providers.

The UCHealth Aspen Club elds a variety of calls requesting information and recommendations.

Most non-pro t providers are excellent resources for guiding their clients to needed services. They routinely network with other nonpro ts. They know their clients well and are able to make informed suggestions relevant to individual needs and circumstances. Whether or not they are comfortable making referrals to speci c private providers, they are in a position to educate clients on the kind of provider services they might need and how to go about selecting one. Their services are of course limited to their own client populations.

WHAT IS MISSING? While there are several good ‘hub’ centers listing services for older adults and their caregivers, only ADRC seems to have the resources and mission to personalize their recommendations to meet the speci c needs of local callers. And even they are limited in their ability to make suggestions beyond the public and nonpro t arena. There is some question as to how widely their services are known to the general public. What is blatantly missing is some sort of mechanism for informing and guiding more isolated folks who reside outside the usual circles of reliable information. In spite of several good online listings, personalized advice and support for identifying and actually seeking appropriate services is generally limited to information and encouragement provided by informal social connections and immediate caregivers who themselves may have limited knowledge of the range of available resources. NON-PROFITS HAVE EXPRESSED A VARIETY OF CONCERNS:

1. Lack of community familiarity with issues they address. “unless you know someone with the problem you do not know the problem” or that there even is a problem.

2. Lack of community familiarity with the kind and cost of services rendered by an agency 3. Needs can overwhelm agency resources at times delaying service delivery. 4. Di culty convincing isolated “independent” clients to connect with outside assistance

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5. Rural and Hispanic populations are especially in need of information regarding available resources which may be limited due to distance and language barriers.

Accessible Housing in Larimer County

Older adults would bene t in having a variety of housing options suﬃcient to meet their individual needs and from community support to make these options viable. Creating accessible, aﬀordable housing can signi cantly improve the quality of life for older adults, allowing them to age in place comfortably and maintain their independence for as long as possible.

BACKGROUND Ideal housing access for older adults should encompass several characteristics to ensure their safety, comfort, and convenience as they age. Here are some key features:

• Accessibility: Housing should be easily accessible without obstacles or barriers. • Safety: Implementing safety features can prevent accidents and provide peace of mind for older adults. • Adaptability: Homes that can be easily modi ed to accommodate changing needs over time. • Location: Ideally, housing should be located near essential amenities. Proximity to social and community centers can also combat isolation and encourage social interaction. • Affordability: Affordable housing options suited for older adults are essential. There’s never enough affordable housing, and a lot of people are trapped in the middle nancially. Cost of renting (including inability to limit rent increases). • Socialization and Community Engagement: Housing communities that encourage social interaction, communal spaces, and organized activities foster a sense of belonging and combat isolation or loneliness. • Technology Integration: Incorporating technology for safety and convenience, can signi cantly enhance the quality of life for older adults. • Healthcare Support: Easy access to healthcare services, in-home care options, and proximity to medical facilities or clinics can be crucial. • Financial and Legal Assistance: Access to nancial and legal resources or services catering to older adults’ needs can be bene cial. • Environmental Considerations: Consideration for a quiet environment, access to nature or green spaces, and proper ventilation and air quality can positively impact older adults’ mental and physical well-being.

WHERE ARE WE NOW There are many of examples of government, non-pro ts, CSU, builders collaborating to o er programs to assist older adults with staying in their own home or gaining access to housing that will better suit their needs.

- City governments o ering incentives to private landlords to rent to seniors and/or low income people. - Non-pro ts providing case management to renters (alleviating concerns of private landlords). - Educational programs directed to potential home owners - VOA’s Handi-Person Program helps people to think through their home situation, so they can plan ahead for aging in place. - Fort Collins and Loveland have attempted to increase a ordable housing through building code adjustments to allow more middle housing. - Institute for the Built Environment (CSU) has a program called Lifelong Housing. - Programs that provide assistance in nding housing - Neighbor-to-Neighbor hosts a Home Share program matching older home owners with those seeking housing. - Larimer County (for the last 4 years) has o ered nancial support for home or mobile home owners to make emergency repairs. Funding is via a grant or a low interest loan. - Neighbor to Neighbor administers an Eviction prevention program for unincorporated

- Larimer County residents. Started during the pandemic and continuing in 2024 - Community e orts to work with the County Land Use Code to include a ordable

housing for unincorporated areas of the County. -CSU Extension Rural Initiative - programming around healthy aging (which includes housing). - Housing Catalyst provides a ordable rentals, assistance with nding housing, housing vouchers, etc. for those who are income quali ed. -Life long homes Builders : builders working on communities that support aging in place

• Life Long Homes project is continuing froward with builders/developers, etc. • Sonders development. • Pole Star community will have life long homes.

WHAT IS MISSING?

- Enough housing stock for both rental and owner occupied housing. - Enough available land for builders to add to housing stock - Assistance to buyers and renters with credit issues - Clarity and enforcement of u+2 issues - Land use codes supporting a ordable housing - Su cient stock of public housing - Access to existing public housing - shorter waiting lists and less complicated application

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processes - Public awareness that we’re an aging community with increased need for lifelong housing. - Review of building codes and single family home/car oriented communities. - Design exibility. Developers have “formulas” so it is hard to change to new housing plans. - Building designers with su cient knowledge of accessibility issues. - Communities open to allowing more middle housing in their neighborhoods. - Adaptation to changing demographics. Changes over time have resulted in far fewer nuclear families, so emphasis on single family housing is not e cient. - Incentives to build with life long home features.(e.g. lower water tap fees, faster approval process). - Consumers’ awareness of and demand for age-friendly features

NON-PROFITS HAVE EXPRESSED A VARIETY OF CONCERNS:

- Need more vocal support for issues from businesses, faith based groups at city council

and with with local representatives. - State tax credits needed to incentivize developers. - Need involvement from businesses tangential to construction (e.g. small local business people who live here as do their employees). - Need more PT, OTs who are interested in safe housing. - Architects, Builders, Developers, realtors, government, transportation people need to be part of the solution - . Need for understanding and promoting the needs of older adults in housing. - Incentives to landlords to keep rent down. Need to support NOAH (naturally occurring a ordable housing - small landlords). - Need to prioritize solutions to problems where peoples’ basic needs are met; things that have a life long generational impact.

Suggestion - Make it happen via non-pro ts reaching out to groups for open discussions (what are the issues community is concerned about?). Have community conversations around housing opportunities.

Care Management in Larimer County

Geriatric care management, is a holistic, client-centered approach to caring for older adults or others facing ongoing health challenges. By working with both the "families" and the client, the care manager aims to address some of the challenges. Tools often used include consultation, assessment, care coordination with other agencies and medical professionals, and advocacy in many di erent types of settings (from homes to skilled nursing care facilities.

BACKGROUND In the late 1980’s and 1990’s the community abounded in independent private professional care managers. Providing those services was time-intensive and therefore expensive to deliver. Over time the number of independent providers declined to virtually zero. In the early 2000’s a coalition of independent care managers was formed in an effort to share ideas and resources and to seek ways to better coordinate services. It was also the intent to explore possibilities for providing low-cost services to caregiver families who otherwise could not afford private care management services. This effort gradually evolved into a periodic meeting for sharing information but no procedure for providing low cost care management was ever developed. By the early 2000’s The group had quietly disbanded. The Murphy Center was founded in 2009 as a hub of services for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, It is a collaboration among 20 independent agencies and countless community partners who offer an array of services.

WHERE ARE WE NOW? UCHealth Community Paramedic Division provides frequent ER users with the support they need through an in-home monitoring and referral program. The focus is on those age 50 and older who have physical and behavioral health needs that are not well managed. They seek to help individuals by increasing social connectedness and access to information/resources and skill building, and reducing their use of 911 for needs best addressed by a primary care provider. Most recipients are either homeless or experiencing disabling mental health issues. The Murphy Center continues to facilitate collaboration among independent agencies that offer an array of services for individuals and families who are homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless. Neighbor-to-Neighbor provides case management to clients they place in housing. The Northern Colorado Health Alliance provides care management services to Health First Colorado Medicaid members . The service is free to medicaid recipients. Options for Long Term Care is a Larimer County program that provides assessment and ongoing case management to older and disabled low income individuals who are in need of long term care services in their own homes or alternative care facilities, and provides assessment for people in need of placement in a skilled facility. OLTC Very few private care management agencies are currently available. Most private feebased care management is provided by in-home health care agencies. Allied Care Management and an online care coaching service called Virtual Care Coach are the only two local services with a web presence.

WHAT IS MISSING? Small private care management services have all but disappeared. A few large businesses still provide services, but the cost is quite high and essentially out of reach for low and middle income families who are already challenged by the increasing costs of health care. Managing care is especially challenging for adult children and others who live at a distance and have no knowledge of the availability and quality of local services. Not to mention the challenges of coordinating care among a variety of providers.

While a number of publicly and donor funded services provide some level of care management to income-quali ed individuals, ordinary middle income families have few if any affordable options for assistance in coordinating care for frail elders trying to remain in their own homes.

Mobility in Larimer County

Various attempts have been made in Larimer County over the past several years to address issues of mobility. Some progress has been made . Older adults continue to need access to public transportation and individualized transportation when they are unable to provide transportation on their own.

BACKGROUND: If you needed transportation in Larimer County and were not able to drive yourself or nd someone to provide it to you, would you know what to do? What if you wanted to be more environmentally conscious, and reduce green house gases while still getting around in the county, would you know what to do? These questions are not new to anyone who lives in Larimer County and they have existed for decades! It’s not just the older adults or folks who may have limited abilities in some area who ask these questions, it’s an issue for everyone! Over the past decade concerted e orts have been made to address this issue. Sometime around 2015, in response to limited transportation options, especially in rural areas of Larimer County, PAFC and the O ce on Aging brought together a number of local transportation services to discuss possibilities for expanding services. The group became known as the Senior Transportation Coalition.They met regularly to attempt to identify creative solutions to issues of mobility. Many of their ideas have been implemented and continue to improve service and such dialogue continues. Some of their early e orts included regional travel training (eg. Organized trips to Denver via Bustang) and various e orts to increase public awareness of existing travel options.

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Through surveys, community presentations, and other e orts to identify needs and explore possibilities a program called RideNoCo was established which provides information concerning how to access transportation in the county. With a sta of three, RideNoCo connects with individuals who need speci c information and direction on how to navigate public or private transportation entities in Larimer and Weld counties and helps to facilitate a successful outcome. Areas with less successful outcomes continue to be in the rural areas of both counties.

WHERE ARE WE NOW?

Many issues still remain and may have been exacerbated by the recent pandemic. Issues related to the public’s awareness of what transportation is available continue. Concerns related to transportation needs on an immediate basis (e.g., how to get to a medical appointment or to visit someone in the hospital) exist. Cost of specialized transportation is a continuing issue as is wheelchair accessibility, assistance beyond curb to curb service, and o hours availability. RIDE NOCO will be initiating a new coordinated scheduling system this spring on a trial basis with SAINT, RAFT, 60Plus Ride. Existing transportation services include: SAINT o ers volunteer drivers who provide personalized door-to-door transportation to older adults and people with disabilities. RideNoCO is a central information hub helping riders nd transportation options throughout northern Colorado Bustang is a fee based bus service provided by Colorado Department of Transportation o ering service from Fort Collins and Loveland to Denver, Colorado Springs, and Grand Junction. Heart and soul Paratransit a private non emergency medical transportation service

Fort Collins Transfort provides public bus service throughout the City. Fares have been suspended since the beginning of the covid epidemic. Free travel training is available to those unfamiliar with public transport. All buses are wheel chair accessible.

Dial-A-Ride is a door-to-door paratransit service for individuals who, because of a disability, are prevented from using Transfort's xed route system.

WHAT IS MISSING? Many issues still remain and may have been exacerbated by the recent pandemic.

• Issues related to the public’s awareness of what transportation is available continue. • Concerns related to transportation needs on an immediate basis (e.g., how to get to a medical appointment or to visit someone in the hospital) exist. • Cost of specialized transportation is a continuing issue: wheelchair accessIbility, assistance beyond curb to curb service, o hours availability. • Dialogue among existing providers. • Awareness of how other communities or neighborhoods address these issues. • General campaign to publicize transportation that exists and possible restrictions. (Restrictions may be economic, advance planning related, time sensitive). This could include creating a way to get such information directly to the consumer but also to various entities that serve older adults on a regular basis.

Patient Education Patient education is a recurring and ongoing issue in Larimer County. Access to appropriate educational resources is an important component to self care and managing ones health. Patient education aids in making informed decisions. Patient education is important in determining appropriate treatment options and in selecting appropriate providers and ultimately in health outcomes.

Larimer County has an abundance of health care providers in nearly every discipline or specialty. Determining who to go to is often a daunting task for a patient due to the myriad of di erent providers.

Background Larimer County has seen several initiatives attempt to address the issue of patient education. These seem to break into two di erent models: • Education focused on and geared toward the patient or their family and support system. • Education for the professional providers. Some of those initiatives have included: Alzheimer’s Association o ers classes on the warning signs of dementia and how to provide care for a person with dementia. Dementia Together o ers training for families to assist in managing the dementia journey of their loved one. Also o ers training for professionals to increase awareness and professionalism when encountering persons with dementia. Aspen Club o ers classes in various health related topics. Also acts as a resource center for persons seeking general guidance. Larimer O ce on Aging publishes annual guidebook of older adult resources in Larimer county. Care Managers Outreach Forum was open to professionals in patient care. Educational format with changing topics and discussion around topical local health issues. Attended by Case Managers and others. This program has been discontinued.

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Sharing the Care was originally an attempt to improve relations between hospital care providers and long term care facility providers. Evolved into network of caring professionals striving to improve quality of care through education and networking.

Bridging the Gap was an annual trade show open to all providers in the area at low cost. Open to the public, but mostly attended by professionals to meet and network with other professionals. This program has been discontinued. Elder Care Network was a non-pro t organization that produced two annual events: Senior Law Day, and Elder Care Resource Day. This program has been discontinued. Senior Access Points is an online resource that connects older adults with reliable education and resources in Larimer County. Seniors Blue Book is a Resource for older adults on a myriad of topics a ecting older adults. Professionals for Seniors is a monthly networking event for pro t and nonpro t providers . Centennial Area Health Education Center participates in coalitions to coordinate care and works to connect healthcare professionals. Health Educators Some organizations employ health educators to provide education to patients. These are largely focused on speci c conditions or risks (e.g. stroke, cardiac, cancer). Case Managers

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Associates in Family Medicine and UCHealth had a network of case managers within some of their doctors’ o ces who followed patients, helped to coordinate with local resources and help with related issues beyond what the doctors dealt with. Educated their patients on local resources. This program has been discontinued.

Poudre Valley Hospital also had a community case management program, targeting complex medical cases and high utilizers who had been discharged from the hospital. Care coordinators helped educate patients arrange wrap-around services to improve consistency in management of health conditions and avoid readmission. This program has been discontinued. Physicians Doctors provide one on one education to their patients regarding their personal health conditions. Hospital and physician clinics utilize electronic medical record-based screening tool to assess patient conditions appropriate for referral (e.g. HealthyU fall prevention education and programs). WHERE ARE WE NOW? Covid primarily, and other forces have seen the end of many of the above programs. Aspen Club programming remains. Larimer OOA publishes the Answers on Aging. Physicians provide individual education during appointments. Alzheimer’s Association and Dementia Together have resumed educational events. Many of the community-based resource fairs have not returned.

CURRENT PROBLEM/CHALLENGES/ROADBLOCKS

- Paradoxically, the wide and varied amount of care providers creates an overwhelming level of options and makes it di cult for some patients to nd appropriate care.

- Patients are unclear where to nd education relevant to them. Is more general education needed? Or more targeted? How do you accomplish that?

- Due to the wide variety or providers, sometimes competitive issues hinder cooperation among providers. The causes a fracturing of any education avenues and messages.

- Encouraging patients to get information in advance rather than in a crisis has been a dream of many, but seems to not be realistic. Patient education is almost always crisis or need driven.

- Any approach to Patient Education requires hosting within a stable organization. It requires nancial resources and dedicated personnel. Many of the above initiatives have discontinued for a variety of reasons: retirement of their primary champion, organizations ceasing to exist, changing priorities of organization, natural attrition, and covid.

How could partnerships help reach solutions

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A partnership of any entities, private or public, could provide stability and longevity to an initiative by providing nancial resources and dedicated personnel. If properly structured, this could eliminate or minimize any competitive roadblocks.

Volunteerism in Larimer County

Volunteerism refers to the practice of individuals dedicating their time, skills, and efforts voluntarily to support and contribute to a cause or organization without expecting monetary compensation. Volunteers play a crucial role in various sectors, including community service. The essence of volunteerism lies in the sel ess desire to make a positive impact and create a better society. Volunteers contribute their unique talents, expertise, and time to address social issues, promote positive change, and foster a sense of community.

BACKGROUND OF PROGRAMS: Three programs provided information about their volunteer programs:: Catholic Charities, Pathways Hospice , PAFC and VOA. The di erences in their volunteer opportunities is as di erent as their services. Therefore, their input is broken down by agency.. • Catholic Charities – Bethany Bray, Volunteer Coordinator They serve people experiencing homelessness. They provide shelter, food, safety, case management and life skill classes. They support two shelters: Greeley and Fort Collins. They have over 600 volunteers which include schools, mission trips, and subs from churches. They utilize volunteers for: o Serving lunch/dinner Greeley, breakfast/lunch Fort Collins. o Serving and meal prep o Laundry o Art, yoga, nancial, birthday parties (behind the scene and face to face work) • Partnership for Age Friendly Communities (PAFC) – Karrie

PAFC fosters e orts that improve lives of older adults through 4 core priorities: Health & Wellness, Housing, Culture of Aging and Mobility & Access. Each priority group oversees its own projects which are generally time-limited and

so o er opportunities for volunteers to participate from planning to execution of a wide variety of projects over a xed period of time. • Pathways Hospice – Deb Hayman, Volunteer Coordinator Since 1978, Pathways has served the community. Originally sta ed by volunteers to provide comfort in the nal days of life for just 17 patients. They currently o er comprehensive hospice care, palliative care and grief and lose support for all. They serve thousands annually, including 1,200 hospice patients, 2,800 palliative care visits and 3,400 community counseling sessions. They currently have 150 volunteers. • Volunteers of America -Shea. Leibfreid, Project Manager

AmeriCorps Seniors-RSVP is a national service program that taps into the skills, talents, and experience of persons age 55 and older.They work with each individual to learn about their skills and interests and match them with an opportunity at one of over 50 partner nonpro t agencies in Larimer County.

WHERE ARE WE NOW: Those groups that provide nancial and sta ng support for volunteer programs often do well with volunteers. • Catholic Charities o Have job description speci c. Step by step. Objectives, bene ts from the role, who they will report to, what is their motivation. o Having consistent process – guring out from initial phone call and walk the volunteers through the process. Being aware of how much they need to know. Keep them interested. Have all the paperwork ready, who will be in charge of the volunteers, training for speci c issues. o APPRECIATION, appreciation, appreciation (cards for occasions, luncheon) o Volunteer visible to each other, group orientation o Newsletters, spotlights, question of the week, volunteer shirts, Name tags so all sta can acknowledge the volunteer by name o Keep a le of details on volunteers for help areas in other areas. o Make volunteers ambassadors at events and to recruit new volunteers. o volunteers. Touch base on a regular basis o No surveys. Phone access to call immediately if something comes up.

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o Tapping into college students/high school – micro internships (letter of recommendations, put on resume) but challenging to rely on sometimes.

o Strategies to recruit

• Make volunteers ambassadors at events and to recruit new volunteers. • Church, youth group, CSU involvement expo, cost to it. • Bike to work days and o er food. (awareness also) • Using a quick and easy qrcode on all yers • Attend Open streets and bike to work day for visibility through fcmove. • Connect with VOA. (RSVP) • Corporate groups (The Group gives, Key Banks has to have volunteers) • United Way • DOVIA - membership required • Court order people – very strict requirements. They pay for the background check.

o We are a friendly organization! Once people start volunteering with us, they often comment about how everyone welcomed them onto the team, and how they quickly made new friends. People value not only volunteering on projects, but nding new friendships through their volunteer work. o Volunteers frequently comment on how they appreciate that we have exibility with our meeting format - many teams meet virtually, and that exibility has made it possible for some of our volunteers to continue participating. The postCOVID virtual meeting world seems to be here to stay. o We have such a wide breadth of projects and problems we tackle, that it's often to pair someone with a project they are interested in. I can nd an opportunity for just about anyone. o Strategies to recruit

▪ Word of mouth ▪ ▪ Social media ▪ Monthly newsletter ▪ Partnership with VOA ▪ Attending outside events (CSU, local Chambers, Community Colleges

• PAFC

Volunteers of America - needs interview

• Pathways Hospice o They currently have all the volunteers they need - 150 o 150. Three trainings a year, maximum of 15. People connect in this smaller group. o Training is required to maintain their accreditation. o Kept volunteers during COVID. o Personalities are key. Spend a lot of time working with volunteers and making sure they are part of the process and responding quickly back to the volunteer. o Final interview for about an hour with each volunteer. o Best practice is 2-3 hours/week of volunteer hours. o Never ask for a commitment up front. o Communicate through email. o Co ee chat – o ered to all volunteers. o Volunteers work directly with the family and the patient. o Make the patient comfortable is what it is all about. o Art of listening. o Sta comes into training and tells their stories and is encouraged to acknowledge each volunteer. o Strategies to recruit

▪ Word of mouth ▪ Web search – Hospice Pathways rst website. ▪ Strong partnership with CSU, UNC from social work and music therapy majors. ▪ Music Therapy interns come from all over the country due to advertising strategies. ▪ Present to colleges/schools and introduce subject: death and dying sparks passion and interest.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES Providers who attended the May 1 2023 meeting stated they struggled with nding new volunteers, keeping volunteers engaged, guring out how to maintain them and having referrals to give to potential volunteer who either didn’t t the needs of the program or for whom the program did not meet their exceptions or needs. Even those programs with active volunteer programs have their challenges. • Catholic Charities o Looking for grants/support to help with volunteer lunches, appreciation items. o Overall resource information for volunteer opportunities (Volunteers that want to volunteer but doesn’t t the criteria or the volunteer position I not what that want to do.) o A Volunteer maybe needed for a speci c job they might enjoy but it is hard on sta if they are not always available. • PAFC

o Branding challenge. Many people don’t know who we are. Organization name is hard to remember. o Volunteers are retired and need very exible schedules but that could be unavailable for weeks/months which can make it challenging to keep the momentum. o Volunteers can have health issues that stop them from volunteering o Partner Organizations have had major turnover. Had to build relationships. o Volunteers are much more judicial with their time, especially in a post-COVID world.

▪ Pro is that the volunteers we ARE getting are often very committed to the projects ▪ Con is that is challenging to communicate project goals to entice them to volunteer. o Challenging to show appreciation due to funding and interest in volunteers to attend. • Pathways Hospice • o Volunteers require a lot of attention. o Juggling every day issues that come up for the volunteer. o Flu shots were required and lost 40 volunteers. o Barrier is to get through training o If wants to volunteer but have lost someone, they must wait one year before applying. o Lots of training. General to nitty gritty. 2 full days of training. 8 hours of community education/year

• Volunteers of America

EXPRESSED CONCERNS • All sta are interacting with volunteer but time is limited. • Need sta . Short sta is an issue. • Need someone to be with volunteers during the shift • Getting honest feedback from volunteers on issues. Try to make rounds with the volunteers. Touch base on a regular basis • Working class that came to help during COVID went to back to work • COVID issues when there is an outbreak. HOW COULD PARTNERSHIPS HELP REACH A SOLUTION • Sharing information on what is working and what are barriers among programs. • Cross referrals. Central place for programs to share volunteer opportunities. • Sharing or providing nancial support for supporting volunteer appreciation. • Maintaining clear and open communication with with potential volunteer sources.

•