How it Works
- We recruit, screen, and train volunteers for senior care
- You register for you as an elder or for a senior you help
- You connect easily with safe volunteers by phone
How to Participate
In the search results, look at the icons next to the volunteer's name and see if the type of help offered corresponds to your needs. You can click on them to hear a full description.
-
If you are located in the U.S. use the search by zip code option, and look for someone close to the location where help is needed. Try a search within ten miles and see who's there!
-
Get a feel for the Helpers before calling. Do you like their profile picture? Do you like what they wrote about themselves in their mini-biography? If so, give them a call!
-
We screen our volunteers through a phone interview and identity check. We conduct background checks upon request. We recommend that you spend some time getting to know the helper over the phone before agreeing on meeting.
-
Never offer money to a helper, you might offend the person! It is also against the rules of the program to have any money exchange. Cake, muffins, gas tank top off are just fine of course. Our volunteers help you to gain wisdom, hear stories, fill a void, give back to the community.
- Who can participate in Elder Helpers?
-
If you are 55 or older, or are looking to find help for someone in that age group, you are eligible to use this service! People suffering from extreme anxiety, serious memory or mental issues, or experiencing unmanageable financial hardship, are strongly discouraged from participating in Elder Helpers. Important note: 1 access code is valid for for 1 household of 2 elders maximum (violators are banned).
- What can be expected in terms of volunteer help?/How many hours of help can I get?
-
You can safely rely on these factors:
- How many volunteers are listed in the area in which you need help,
- The level of motivation of the volunteers listed,
- How many of them you contact,
- How well you do at making a case for getting help with them on the phone,
- How well they feel about helping once they start volunteering for you,
- How much time volunteers have available,
- How well the required assistance schedule fits with their own schedule,
- Whether you give them some sort of reward (e.g. free food, gas…) or not,
- How successful we are in recruiting new volunteers in this area overtime.
Very successful users can get hundreds of hours of help per year for small monthly contribution. We guarantee that your donation is tax deductible, that you will get full access to the site and the contact information of our volunteers for the time of your participation, that we will keep recruiting over 10,000 new volunteers per year all throughout U.S.A., and that we will give you the phone support that you need to make the most out of Elder Helpers.We can't guarantee that volunteers will always be available when you want, they are not our employees. You are essentially making a tax deductible donation to get access to a safe and convenient service, instead of wasting hours contacting unscreened, potentially dangerous random volunteers on websites not specifically designed to recruit and present volunteers dedicated to assisting elders.
- Can you help disabled people who are not 55 years of age or more?
-
Maybe. It will depend on the preference of the volunteers who you are contacting. Our volunteers sign up as “Elder Helpers” to help the elderly, to find a special connection with an elder. They want to hear stories and have a relationship involving wisdom acquired through time. Our service is not designed for people with disabilities. If you are a disabled elder, then this can still be an okay fit for you. However, if you are not of elder age, we ask that you seek specialized services elsewhere.
- I am outside of the U.S.A. but your billing is in U.S. dollars and your site mentions that you are based in the U.S.A. can I still use your services?
-
Yes, our legal entity is based in U.S.A. and we bill in U.S. dollars to simplify our accounting process but we have volunteers around the world. Use the drop down menu on the search page to select the country in which you are seeking assistance.
- How do I select a helper?
-
Look at the icons displayed in the search results to see if the type of help that the volunteer is offering matches what you are looking for. If so, call up the volunteer to see if your needs match with his/her availability and desire.
- How can I make sure that a volunteer is safe to work with?
-
First of all look at the profile picture if the volunteer has one, read the biography and then spend time getting to know the person over the phone. After this, we recommend that you set up the first meeting in a public place like a coffee shop. Have a friend or family member with you and trust your instincts. We go over every biography to make sure that it is appropriate and background checks are done by IntelliCorp (Verisk), a very serious and reputable company that also does background checks for other large organizations.
- How do background checks work and how much will that cost me?
-
Nothing: our volunteers pay for their own background checks so there is no charge to you for this extra service. Background checks are done by IntelliCorp, a very serious and reputable company, leader in the risk management industry.
- Do volunteers get rewarded?
-
Yes, our volunteers get gift cards and goodies. Make sure to provide them with the email address that you used to sign up so that they can login their hours and claim their rewards. We also strongly encourage you to find ways to keep them engaged and highly motivated. Sincere gratitude is the best reward.
- I lost my code, how do I get a new one?
-
You would need to email us at help@elderhelpers.org to get a new code.
- How do I cancel my membership?
-
Request cancelation by sending us a simple email to help@elderhelpers.org
- Do you have a level of service for agencies involved with caring for the elderly?
-
No: We only work with elders and direct relatives.
- Do you offer live-in exchange services where I can offer room and/or board in exchange for services?
-
No.