Faith in Action by ElderHelp of San Diego

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Faith in Action Volunteer Program

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Faith in Action is a coalition of ElderHelp of San Diego and faith-based organizations working together to recruit, train and connect volunteers to serve isolated and frail seniors in their homes within the mid-city area of San Diego. Working within this coalition, our purpose is to identify homebound seniors through targeted outreach and serve them with companionship and assistance provided by trained volunteers. With this assistance, members of the community who are frail and elderly can remain in their own homes and maintain their independence for as long as possible.

Faith in Action brings ElderHelp together with volunteers from congregations of many faiths. Since its inception, Faith in Action has grown to include 12 faith-based member organizations. Coalition members represent churches, synagogues and other religious congregations that reflect the diversity of the community. (In keeping with the interfaith nature of the program, proselytizing is not permitted.) By building partnerships with neighborhood congregations, we identify seniors who need assistance and also recruit and train volunteers who assist them with home-based care giving.

Faith in Action Coalition Members

First Southern Baptist Church

First Unitarian Universalist Church

Harbor Presbyterian Church

Our Savior's Lutheran Church

Ohr Shalom Synagogue

Phillips Temple Christian Methodist Episcopal Church

Plymouth Congregational Church

St. Patrick's Parish Catholic Church

St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church

University Avenue Baptist Church

University Christian Church

St. Therese of Carmel Cahtolic Parish

Faith in Action Story - Helping Homebound Seniors

A. Wayne Riggs, pastor of Plymouth Congregational Church in North Park has always looked for ways to help the seniors in his congregation; help them get to their medical appointments, help them access community resources, and help them cope with the everyday struggles of aging. When ElderHelp of San Diego approached him and his church to join a coalition of faith-based organizations focused on helping seniors, he jumped at the opportunity. “The Faith in Action program is a wonderful new addition to our community of faith and our community at large. It enables a number of congregations to pool resources and to respond collectively to some of the needs that seniors in our area have,” said Pastor Riggs recently about ElderHelp’s newest program.

There are over 800 Faith in Action programs throughout the United States. ElderHelp is honored to have received the only Faith in Action grant award in Southern California in 2004 from the nationally renowned Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The grant enables ElderHelp to create innovative partnerships with faith-based organizations to offer services to the elderly in the Coalition congregations and parishes. The goal of all the Faith in Action programs is to assist the frail and homebound elderly or disabled who live alone, suffer chronic health problems, or are unable to perform simple daily tasks.

Seniors referred to ElderHelp from the Faith in Action Coalition churches will initially receive a home visit to assess the senior’s needs, generate referrals for volunteers to meet those needs, connect with community resources and provide follow-up to evaluate the progress.

Over the next two years, the Faith in Action program will identify over 125 San Diego seniors in need of ElderHelp’s services.

Meet our Clients

Zame

Faith in Action serves seniors such as 83 year old Zame, who has no family in San Diego, suffers from Macular Degeneration, a degenerative eye disease, and is legally blind. Prior to receiving help from her ElderHelp Care Manager, Beth Cameron, Zame struggled often taking the bus to and from medical appointments and to buy groceries. Pastor Riggs knew of Zame’s struggles and referred her to ElderHelp.

ElderHelp assigned a grocery shopping volunteer who Zame says, “is a younger woman and it is so nice to have a younger person to talk to. We have fun!” A church friend and newly recruited Faith in Action volunteer helps Zame sort her mail and pay her bills. In addition, ElderHelp provides her with taxi vouchers so she can now get to her medical appointments with ease.

Zame says, “I am so grateful my church contacted me about this program. It means a great deal to me. The public needs to know about the dedicated people at ElderHelp who are concerned about the elderly.”

ElderHelp is proud to administer this unique program and honored to be partnered with such a wonderful coalition of caring individuals. For more information on Faith in Action please contact ElderHelp at 619-284-9281 x14 or via our contact form.