May 8, 2007

VCU-supported ElderFriends program wins 'Acts of Caring' award

Chesterfield County program recognized by the National Association of Counties

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By Mike Porter

Chesterfield County’s ElderFriends program was recognized by the National Association of Counties during a ceremony on Capitol Hill. The program is supported by VCU’s Department of Gerontology. From left: Preston V. Lee Jr., Freddie Mac; Kiersten Seeger Ware, ElderFriends Founding Director; Hon. Colleen Landkamer, NACo President; Sarah Coble, ElderFriends Advocate Coordinator; Michael Ware, ElderFriends Volunteer (and Kiersten's husband.) Photo provided by Kiersten Seeger Ware.
Chesterfield County’s ElderFriends program was recognized by the National Association of Counties during a ceremony on Capitol Hill. The program is supported by VCU’s Department of Gerontology. From left: Preston V. Lee Jr., Freddie Mac; Kiersten Seeger Ware, ElderFriends Founding Director; Hon. Colleen Landkamer, NACo President; Sarah Coble, ElderFriends Advocate Coordinator; Michael Ware, ElderFriends Volunteer (and Kiersten's husband.) Photo provided by Kiersten Seeger Ware.

A Virginia Commonwealth University- supported effort that links volunteers with the elderly was one of 17 programs recognized nationwide for creating innovative and effective partnerships between county governments and the communities they serve.

The National Association of Counties (NACo) named Chesterfield County’s ElderFriends program, which is supported by VCU’s Department of Gerontology, a winner in its 2007 Acts of Caring Awards Program.

VCU and Chesterfield County representatives accepted the award at an April 26 breakfast ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Kiersten Ware, director of ElderFriends in the Department of Gerontology, created the program in Seattle in 1996 as a way to build social connections between volunteers and the elderly to help older people remain independent for as long as possible. Ware brought the ElderFriends program to VCU in 2005.

“ElderFriends was founded on the principle that connecting to others and to one’s community is just as important to the well-being of older people as nursing care and medicine,” Ware said.

The Chesterfield program currently links 30 volunteers to elderly residents. Volunteers come from a variety of locations, including VCU. Volunteers complete CPR and safety training and no charge. They must commit to visiting their elder for a minimum of four times a month for one year. Volunteers are also encouraged to keep in regular telephone contact with their elder. 

For more information about ElderFriends, visit http://www.elderfriendsva.org.