Faith in Action Volunteer Caregiving for the Elderly

Current FIA volunteers: Download your FIA timesheet here.

What is Faith in Action?
NHCO pairs caring volunteers with the elderly and adults with physical disabilities through the Faith in Action program. Volunteers are matched with those in need to offer the following help:

• Provide transportation to and from doctors' appointments, physical therapy, hair salon, etc.
• Take grocery shopping, or do the shopping for him or her
• Perform home safety evaluations (e.g. check for adequate lighting, gas leaks, night lights, dangerous rugs or furniture, etc.)
• Screen individuals for eligibility for Medicare and other government programs
• Help with light chores and errands
• Rake leaves and other yard work (great youth project!)
• Friendly phone calls and visits

There are no income requirements to receive help through Faith in Action. If you would like to receive assistance or to volunteer for Faith in Action, contact Cathy Pschirer at 412-307-0069.

Free Rides for Seniors: NHCO operates a 14-passenger shuttle bus to provide "Free Rides for Seniors." The shuttle bus, which is sponsored in part by the St. Margaret Foundation, travels along Freeport Road between Sharpsburg and Blawnox on weekdays between 10-4.

Service is geared toward helping seniors get to doctors' appointments, grocery shopping, lunch with friends, etc. Volunteer drivers are needed (no special license required), as are "ride-along" dispatchers to take phone calls and assist with navigation.

Seniors ages 60 and above can call 412-782-2001 after 9:45 AM on the day they need a ride.

The office for Free Rides for Seniors has moved to UPMC Lighthouse Pointe in O'Hara Township. For more information about Free Rides for Seniors or Faith in Action-Hartwood, contact Kerry Keegan Mulhern at 412-449-0151.

NHCO is now an ACCESS 65+ sign-up site. Any senior (age 65+) who needs to sign up for the ACCESS transportation program can now come to our North Boroughs office to fill out the paperwork instead of going downtown. Contact Erin Stevens at 412-307-0069 for more information.

NHCO Takes Lead on Faith in Action Collaboration
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded a Faith in Action Grant to Faith in Action/Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers of the Alleghenies in western Pennsylvania. The grant was awarded as part of the Foundation’s Collaborative Grant Program, designed to bring together regional groups of existing FIA caregiving programs in a common effort to help those in need. FIA is a national interfaith volunteer caregiving initiative that helps those with long-term health needs and consists of hundreds of programs nationwide.

The Faith in Action programs that are participating in the FIA/IVC of the Alleghenies include:

• Allegheny Valley Association of Churches Faith in Action
• Alle-Kiski Faith in Action
• Erie Health Ministries
• Faith in Action (Sewickley Valley YMCA)
• Indiana County CareNet
• Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers of Fayette
• Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers of Southwestern PA
• Jacob's Creek Area Faith in Action
• Laurel Area Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers
• North Hills Community Outreach
• Washington County Faith in Action

The FIA grant is being administered by NHCO, and it will be used for general operating expenses, volunteer recruitment and training. We are excited to collaborate with these other Faith in Action groups to help spread the word about FIA, share resources, and recruit more volunteers. All this towards the goal of helping frail elderly and those with long-term health issues to remain safe and independent in their homes.

FIA volunteers come from churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship, as well as the community at-large. These volunteers help those in need with many everyday activities, such as picking up groceries or providing a ride to the doctor. Some also perform home safety checks, make friendly visits or provide telephone reassurance.

As part of this effort, we have developed a website to help connect volunteers, care receivers, Faith in Action agency representatives and others. Join the discussion board today!

Rob's Story: Rob, a 58-year old Millvale resident, was referred to NHCO by his visiting nurse. His immediate need was transportation to and from dialysis treatments three times a week. At the time, he had been using public transportation, which was detrimental to his already declining health, especially in the cold weather. In addition to arranging volunteers to provide transportation, we also worked with a local food pantry to deliver food to him on a temporary basis, gave him a list of area senior housing units, and provided some extra bus passes in the event we are unable to have a volunteer transport him on a given day. Rob is thankful for the help and says, "If you are ill and don't have relatives or people to help you, there are people in Millvale and agencies like NHCO that are wonderful and a life link. You don't have to go it alone."

Mary's Story: "Mary" is a 67-year-old widow who lives in McCandless. She first came to NHCO for utility and food assistance. After assessing her situation, we determined that Mary could benefit from our Faith in Action program. Caring volunteers, many of them youth, take care of her yard in the summer and rake leaves in the fall. We also arranged for a volunteer handyman to fix a door in her house. NHCO participates in United Way's Day of Caring, and volunteers helped to paint her house. We collaborated with Salem United Methodist Church to deliver Thanksgiving dinner to Mary and her 95-year-old mother. NHCO's holistic approach to helping our neighbors in need definitely made a difference in Mary's life, and we feel blessed to be able to help her and others in similar situations.