Friendly Visiting Program
The Friendly Visitor Program has been offered in Abbotsford since the conception of the organization in 1989. The Friendly Visitor Program has been greatly utilized in the community of Abbotsford, BC. This program has been providing social support to seniors, who are isolated, depressed, and/or who lack family and social connections. With our fast-growing cohort of seniors, we are seeing more seniors in need of connecting. The community has greatly supported this program by providing the gift of their time through volunteering and fostering connections with these seniors.
The Friendly Visiting Program focus is on social support for seniors who have little or no support. The arrival of, or phone call from a Friendly Visitor lifts the spirits of the senior as they know they have a lifeline. This includes when they are in the hospital or otherwise experiencing health challenges.
The Friendly Visiting Program tends to have a ripple effect in the community as family, neighbours and medical professionals are heartened by the positive impact of the program on the senior benefiting from the relationship. A large percentage of the referrals we receive are from the medical community as we have established a trusting relationship with them.
There are currently 30 volunteers that are contributing approximately 4,320 hrs. annually to this program.
