Volunteer Opportunities

• Meals on Wheels Drivers

Council on Aging is always in need of Meals on Wheels drivers. Drivers meet at the Council on Aging kitchen between 10:45 and 11:00 Monday through Friday. Each route takes about 30 to 45 minutes to complete, with each driver delivering 5 to12 hot meals. Besides providing a hot, well-balanced meal, you are also serving as a social outlet for these homebound individuals. Drivers may volunteer daily, once a week, or whatever fits your schedule. You can also serve as an on-call substitute. Mileage is reimbursed (or mileage may be donated for a tax deduction!). This is an opportunity to provide one of the most critical direct services to elderly, frail, or homebound individuals in our community.

• Adopt-a-Route

Through the Adopt-a-Route Program, businesses and organizations provide drivers for as many days a week as desired. Call 363-5690 to become a Meals on Wheels driver.

• Telephone Reassurance

Council on Aging's telephone reassurance program is a service that makes telephone calls to an elderly person's home to ensure they are okay. Volunteers are assigned clients to call once, twice or as many times a week as needed. It is a telephone buddy system that anyone can do from the comfort of their own home. To sign up to be a telephone buddy to an at-risk senior, call Kathy at 363-5690.

Through Montana SMP, senior volunteers help fellow seniors become pro-active consumers identifying potential mistakes, abuse or fraud in medical billing. The volunteers use Montana SMP tools to teach seniors how to understand their Medicare Summary Notices and to compare them with other health care bills to determine any balances owed. Montana SMP volunteers also give presentations in the community to help educate consumers, their families and caregivers about waste, fraud and abuse in the Medicare system.

The Montana SMP program is statewide and has coverage in over 44 counties in Montana. If you know of any seniors that are having difficulty with their health care bills or are interested in learning more about our program, contact the Council on Aging at 363-5690. You can also contact the Program Manager, Renee Labrie, based out of Missoula Aging Services, she can be reached at 406-728-7682.

If you would like to become an SMP volunteer contact the Council on Aging at 363-5690.

• Other opportunities

The Council on Aging has many other opportunities for volunteers. From helping in our office, delivering commodity food to seniors, or volunteering at one of the senior centers.
Call 363-5690 to see what you can do to help seniors in Ravalli County.