The Tender needs volunteers to provide loving care for seniors
If your car has an extra seat, a Burlington County nonprofit wants a senior citizen in it.
Barbara Fetty, CEO of The Tender, an organization that provides care to frail seniors and those living with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, is looking to bolster the organization’s volunteer roll. One of The Tender’s services is providing rides to medical appointments and grocery shopping to frail, homebound seniors. There are about 40 volunteers currently signed up to help the organization, as either drivers, or volunteers at The Tender’s daycare center for those with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
For the “Drive People Happy” program, Fetty said the driving schedule is pretty lax. Volunteer drivers do what they can, whether it’s one ride a week, or four rides a year.
No one is badgered to give rides, as volunteers pick which rides are convenient to them via a Web site listing — and that’s why they need more drivers in the pool. “We don’t bug them — we don’t call them and try to get them to drive,” Fetty said.
“They go to a specific Web site, and they look and see who needs a ride, and they choose a day that’s convenient for them.”
Around since 1977, The Tender picked up the driving program from the organization Interfaith Caregivers of Burlington County, after it went under about six or seven years ago, according to Fetty. She said the driving program was important in keeping seniors in their homes, rather than in pricey nursing homes. Drivers are asked for references, and are given a criminal background check.
“If not for those rides to medical appointments and to get food, those seniors would have to end up going into a nursing home,” Fetty said. “From a pure financial aspect, it’s such a good deal. We give them a couple of rides a month, and they can live in their homes as opposed to going into a nursing home,” which can cost between $6,000 and $7,000 per month, according to Fetty.
Enid Rosenblatt, of Moorestown, doles out her driving skills at least once a week. Formerly a board member with The Tender, Rosenblatt said she started volunteering 17 years ago, and has been giving rides ever since.
“When I retired, someone told me about this,” Rosenblatt said. “I had done a lot of other [volunteering] since then, and I thought this was really easy to do, and my aim was to drive once a week.
“The mission is to enable people to live independently in their own homes for as long as they can,” Rosenblatt said. “Obviously, these people can’t drive for one reason or another; and the reasons vary. Frequently, they have vision problems, and they’re capable of living on their own otherwise, and that’s why they need rides.”
Rosenblatt is retired, as are many of The Tender’s volunteers, Fetty said. And though the retirement age seems to be going up, she said people of Rosenblatt’s generation are still heeding the call. She adds that there is no money or recognition for volunteering.
“People in that generation felt that need a lot more strongly than people in other generations,” Fetty said. “Enid’s been a volunteer, along with her husband for many years, and volunteering is just in her nature.”
Though the driving program helps seniors stay in their homes, Fetty said the program will lose its funding Jan. 1, as the United Way has pulled out its roughly $10,000 contribution.
“It’s not that the United Way booted us, it’s just that they changed the focus of their giving, and transportation is no longer a focus; because transportation is such an overwhelming issue in Burlington County that, with their limited dollars, they can’t impact it.”
And because of that, Fetty said she was in the middle of writing a grant proposal to bridge the gap.
“Who has the money to live in a nursing home?” Fetty said. “From a pure financial aspect, it’s such a good deal. We give them a couple of rides a month, and they can live in their home as oppose to going into a nursing home.”
The Tender is also seeking volunteers for its daycare program. However a prospective volunteer must commit to the same day, and same time period of 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., each week. And The Tender also offers a support group for caregivers of people with dementia.
“It’s a hard job,” Fetty said.
The Tender is located at 16 E. Main St., Moorestown. For more information call 856-234-5999; or visit www.thetender.org.
For the “Drive People Happy” program, Fetty said the driving schedule is pretty lax. Volunteer drivers do what they can, whether it’s one ride a week, or four rides a year.
No one is badgered to give rides, as volunteers pick which rides are convenient to them via a Web site listing — and that’s why they need more drivers in the pool. “We don’t bug them — we don’t call them and try to get them to drive,” Fetty said.
“They go to a specific Web site, and they look and see who needs a ride, and they choose a day that’s convenient for them.”
Around since 1977, The Tender picked up the driving program from the organization Interfaith Caregivers of Burlington County, after it went under about six or seven years ago, according to Fetty. She said the driving program was important in keeping seniors in their homes, rather than in pricey nursing homes. Drivers are asked for references, and are given a criminal background check.
“If not for those rides to medical appointments and to get food, those seniors would have to end up going into a nursing home,” Fetty said. “From a pure financial aspect, it’s such a good deal. We give them a couple of rides a month, and they can live in their homes as opposed to going into a nursing home,” which can cost between $6,000 and $7,000 per month, according to Fetty.
Enid Rosenblatt, of Moorestown, doles out her driving skills at least once a week. Formerly a board member with The Tender, Rosenblatt said she started volunteering 17 years ago, and has been giving rides ever since.
“When I retired, someone told me about this,” Rosenblatt said. “I had done a lot of other [volunteering] since then, and I thought this was really easy to do, and my aim was to drive once a week.
“The mission is to enable people to live independently in their own homes for as long as they can,” Rosenblatt said. “Obviously, these people can’t drive for one reason or another; and the reasons vary. Frequently, they have vision problems, and they’re capable of living on their own otherwise, and that’s why they need rides.”
Rosenblatt is retired, as are many of The Tender’s volunteers, Fetty said. And though the retirement age seems to be going up, she said people of Rosenblatt’s generation are still heeding the call. She adds that there is no money or recognition for volunteering.
“People in that generation felt that need a lot more strongly than people in other generations,” Fetty said. “Enid’s been a volunteer, along with her husband for many years, and volunteering is just in her nature.”
Though the driving program helps seniors stay in their homes, Fetty said the program will lose its funding Jan. 1, as the United Way has pulled out its roughly $10,000 contribution.
“It’s not that the United Way booted us, it’s just that they changed the focus of their giving, and transportation is no longer a focus; because transportation is such an overwhelming issue in Burlington County that, with their limited dollars, they can’t impact it.”
And because of that, Fetty said she was in the middle of writing a grant proposal to bridge the gap.
“Who has the money to live in a nursing home?” Fetty said. “From a pure financial aspect, it’s such a good deal. We give them a couple of rides a month, and they can live in their home as oppose to going into a nursing home.”
The Tender is also seeking volunteers for its daycare program. However a prospective volunteer must commit to the same day, and same time period of 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., each week. And The Tender also offers a support group for caregivers of people with dementia.
“It’s a hard job,” Fetty said.
The Tender is located at 16 E. Main St., Moorestown. For more information call 856-234-5999; or visit www.thetender.org.
