New Health Service

By Lynn Golub-Rofrano, Executive Director

Georgetown Village has worked with Iona Senior Services to create a Friendly Companion Hospital Visitation Program for our members. This service, coupled with the medical note taking service, based on the program developed by Iona and Northwest Neighbors Village, is expanding our member services in health care.

volunteers undergo specialized health-services training.

Georgetown Village and Iona offered a “train the trainer” workshop for all the area Villages in April, and in May trained our own volunteers on these services. Beginning in June, the new services offer members the ability to have someone take notes at doctor’s appointments and provide social support and companionship if they are hospitalized. Although our volunteers will not be medical advocates, it is our hope that they will provide emotional comfort as well as help in very practical ways, such as contacting family members, jotting down information for members, delivering books and reading material to the hospital, etc.

Village volunteers will continue to provide our usual household help outside the hospital such as bringing things from home, providing transportation to medical appointments, making pet care arrangements, doing grocery shopping, and picking up prescriptions. After hospitalization, the Village will continue to work with the member to provide support.

These new services are part of Georgetown Village’s constantly expanding list of services as we evaluate our members’ needs and develop training so volunteers are able to fulfill them. Contact Georgetown Village at 999-8988 or lynn@georgetown-village.org if you have any questions about these services or are interested in becoming a member or volunteer.