SUMMIT COUNTY, Ohio — Two senior-focused entities are seeking volunteers to join the Senior Visitors Program in Summit County as the population of socially isolated seniors continues to rise.
The program is a partnership of Summit County Probate Court and the AmeriCorps Seniors Volunteer Program of VANTAGE Aging. Volunteers in the program will be trained to serve as the “extra eyes and ears” Summit County Probate Court needs for seniors under guardianship in assisted-living facilities, the court said in a release.
More than 2,600 adults currently are under guardianship of Summit County Probate Court. Probate Judge Elinore Stormer created the Senior Visitors Program to strengthen the ranks of those looking out for seniors who are under guardianship and living in long-term care facilities, and to support the court’s guardians who are already in place.
Seniors can become wards of the court if they have no one to serve as a legal guardian because they have no living relatives or are estranged from family and other situations that leave them alone, said Lisa Mansfield, community outreach specialist for the Probate Court.
“If you think about especially what's happened with COVID to people who are in nursing homes, if you don't have somebody that comes in and checks on you, it's got to be very lonely,” Mansfield said.
Research shows social isolation and loneliness can lead to severe health risks, especially for seniors. Social isolation contributes to about a 50% increased risk of dementia, and has been attributed to four times the risk of death for heart patients, according to the National Academy of Sciences.
The pandemic exacerbated the problem, increasing isolation for many seniors in long-term care, in the name of keeping them safe from COVID-19, the National Council on Aging said.
During the pandemic, Summit County Council created the Summit County Nursing Homes and Facilities Task Force to assist facilities in raising the quality of elder care, as many seniors were kept apart from their families.
The task force issued its final recommendations in early 2021, which were expected to be put into action. But a year later, when families were permitted back inside the facilities, the task force heard about widespread subpar conditions and reconvened, the task force said.
Many Summit County nursing homes on the Medicare.gov website are ranked among those with the lowest quality of care in the state.
Increasing the need for volunteers, U.S. nursing homes are facing a staffing crisis, with the majority of assisted living facilities understaffed, and some drastically so. A recent survey by the National Center for Assisted Living found 87% of nursing homes are facing moderate to high staffing shortages, and 48% of those are facing high staffing shortages.
The AmeriCorps Seniors Volunteer Program works to match people over 55 who wish to volunteer with groups where they can best apply their time and talent, the group said. The program is available in Summit and several surrounding counties.
Volunteers can apply for the Senior Visitor Program online. Applicants must be 21, have a valid Ohio driver’s license and transportation and pass a background check.
Training will run 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 23 at Vantage Aging, located in the AES Building in downtown Akron, 388 S. Main St., Suite 325. Sign up online for the training program.