Volunteer Opportunities

Older Ohioans give more than 350,000 hours of their time each year, helping people of all ages. The Department of Aging partners with other state entities to provide two unique opportunities for older Ohioans to volunteer.

Volunteer Ombudsman Associate Program - Working with the Office of the State Long-term Care Ombudsman and regional Ombudsman programs, volunteers establish a regular presence in nursing homes or other long-term care facilities and provide information about resident rights, quality of care, and quality of life to residents and family members. They observe conditions, advocate for residents, and resolve complaints.
Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program Volunteers - The Ohio Senior Health Insurance Information Program (OSHIIP) is a service of the Ohio Department of Insurance, supported by the Department of Aging. Volunteers provides free information and other health insurance services to people in Ohio covered by Medicare regardless of age. Volunteers learn Medicare basics in a 20-hour course, then use that knowledge to help people in their communities.

In addition, the Department of Aging partners with the Corporation for National and Community Service to provide three additional volunteer programs.

Retired Senior Volunteer Program offers an array of choices for volunteers age 55 and over who want to find challenging, rewarding and significant service opportunities in their community. Currently RSVP operates 25 programs throughout the state with more than 16,000 volunteers contributing to a variety of nonprofit organizations benefiting children, the elderly and community improvement. RSVP matches the personal interests and skills of older Americans with opportunities to help solve community problems.
Foster Grandparent Program connects volunteers age 60 and over with children and young people with exceptional needs. Foster Grandparents offer emotional support to children who are victims of abuse and neglect. They tutor children who lag behind in reading, mentor troubled teenagers and young mothers and care for premature infants and children with physical and/or mental disabilities and severe illnesses.
Senior Companion Program bring together volunteers age 60 and older with adults in their community who have difficulty with simple tasks of day to day living. Senior Companions reach out to frail older adults who need extra assistance to live independently in their own homes or communities. They provide companionship and friendship to isolated frail seniors, assist with simple chores, provide transportation and add richness to their clients' lives.

The Department also supports these state volunteer initiatives as good opportunities for older Ohioans:

Ohio Citizen Corps - Part of the Ohio Homeland Security Task Force, the Citizen Corps offers Volunteer programs such as Neighborhood Watch, Volunteers in Police Service, Community Emergency Response Teams, Volunteer Medical Response Corps and Terrorism Awareness and Prevention.
Ohio Community Service Council - The OCSC strengthens Ohio's communities through service and volunteerism including AmeriCorps, Service Learning and Youth Leadership Development.
On the Ohio Homefront - This initiative connects families of deployed military personnel with volunteer services of community-, service- and faith-based organizations, as well as with discounted private services, to help ease the burdens a family faces when one of its members is away.

Your local senior center or community action agency may also welcome volunteers for a variety of programs. Contact your Area Agency on Aging for more information about what it available where you live.