Effort begins to form Senior Companion group
By Kate Ruggles
Farmer Staff Writer
The Lutheran Social Services senior companion and volunteer companion programs are working to change the lives of homebound seniors for the better. The program is at work in communities all across America, and a group of women in Watford City are working to bring the senior companion and volunteer program to McKenzie County.
“There are a lot of elderly people in McKenzie County that have no one living in their homes,” states Karolin Jappe, McKenzie County Emergency Manager and one of the persons responsible for getting this program off the ground in McKenzie County.
Jappe, along with Rita Hovet, Vicki Bauer, Marcia Hellandsaas and Nyla Dahl share a growing concern for the growing population of seniors in McKenzie County that live alone and they all feel this program is a great way to help them.
“I have a friend who took care of her mother for eight years,” states Hovet. “She used this program and she loved it. She would use the time the companion came in to go shopping or just get some respite, and she says it made a tremendous difference for her and her mother.”
For the full story, subscribe to the McKenzie County Farmer