Volunteers Make a Difference with Concordia Tele-CareGivers

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, less than half of all American homes have landlines – with one age group the most reluctant to cut the cord… If you guessed age 65 and over, you win the prize.

While we may be moving away from the landline phone, that doesn’t mean the idea of calling to catch up with a friend or check in on a loved one is any less important. And that’s exactly the premise of Concordia Tele-CareGivers.

Concordia Tele-CareGivers is a free service that utilizes volunteers to make daily phone calls to homebound individuals to ensure that they are able to answer their phone. The program is operated solely by volunteers who make brief 2-3 minute calls from 8 – 10 a.m. Monday – Friday.

Beth Bollman, who works for Concordia Visiting Nurses as a receptionist, started volunteering with the program in November 2017. She had a few reasons for why she decided to volunteer, but her main motivation was to connect with someone who needed help, after her own mother passed away.

“I really missed that Mom phone call every day,” she said. “(When I started volunteering) I was assigned two amazing women who just fulfilled everything I needed. I didn’t realize how much I needed them, and how much they needed me.”

Signing up for the program is simple. Just make a phone call to Tele-CareGivers expressing your interest and they will get in touch with you to make sure you qualify. Often, the clients end up being the volunteers as well.

To volunteer, the qualifications are to be functioning by 8 a.m., at home until 10 a.m., good on the telephone (particularly with the elderly), and able to recognize a problem and report it appropriately.

For more information, please call the program coordinator toll free at 1-866-352-6260. You can also message us throuh the contact form at www.ConcordiaVN.org.