Volunteer
Vignettes
“Some people do kids. I do older people,” says Theresa Andersen, reflecting on the path she took to become a long-term care ombudsman. That path began many years before and included a decade of work with an agency caring for older Californians.
Now retired, she visits eight board and care homes at least once per quarter, more if needed, in Sonoma County. She sees herself not as a building inspector, but an advocate for sometimes vulnerable residents who often aren’t able to advocate for themselves.
It takes a special touch to gain someone’s trust, especially when very few are familiar with an ombudsman’s role before it’s explained to them. Learning that they are not alone – that someone cares about them and often can do something to make life a little easier – is its own reward, Andersen says.
“On my last visit, tears came to the eyes of a new resident,” she says. “That sincere thanks we get from people, that’s enough to keep us going.”
Theresa Andersen
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‘Tis the season for older adults to make a plan for protecting themselves and their loved ones.
"Every time I talk to a client, I feel it's making a postive Difference for them."
“When I’m successful helping someone deal with an issue, I get a charge out of it,” says Gene Campbell. He splits time volunteering as a HICAP counselor and investigating fraud with the Senior Medicare Patrol, both in Orange County.
People needing advice often start a conversation with, “’I just have one little question,’ and it never is,” says Campbell, an 11-year volunteer, with a laugh. “Every time I talk to a client, I feel it’s making a positive difference for them. It makes me feel good to know I’m helping. You’ve got to love working with people and enjoy problem-solving. If you do, it’s a great way to spend your time.”
Gene Campbell
The COVID-19 pandemic and its devastating toll on nursing homes led Suzanne Chevalier to the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program after retiring from a 40-year nursing career.
“I was just really concerned about the conditions and knowing how difficult it would be for all the residents there, being so confined and the facilities short-staffed,” she says. “I thought this would be a way I could contribute.”
While nursing experience is helpful, Chevalier says, paying attention is key to being an ombudsman representative. “My observation skills are good, and that is important in this role. You have got to be able to see, hear, smell – get all the senses going so you can be on top of things.
“(Residents) are concerned about speaking up for themselves; to have someone there really interested in their well-being means a lot to them,” she says. “The greatest reward is seeing the smiles and hearing their thanks for just being there for them – even if they don’t have a complaint.”
Suzanne Chevalier
Irvine resident Judy Grant has volunteered for as long as she can remember – from adult literacy to career counseling. After eight years at HICAP, Grant says there is no end to the kinds of questions she gets from enrollees or the predicaments they may be facing.
“It’s been a challenging but enjoyable journey,” she says. “There is a lot to learn. I am still learning.”
Still, she gets a thrill after every successful encounter.
“For me, it’s explaining things. If I can make Medicare make sense, my little heart goes pitty-pat. People come in and the word they use is ‘overwhelmed.’ They are flummoxed. I love it when I can explain something and they go, ‘Oh, I see.’”
Judy Grant
Why does Matt Hanzlik work with older people? “I don’t know how to do anything else,” he says with a chuckle.
Hanzlik’s lengthy career in social work included decades in care homes and rehabilitation, so he’s practically a natural now as a long-term care ombudsman, something he’s done for four years in Sonoma County.
Actually, it goes deeper. Hanzlik’s parents both worked in “helping professions” and both volunteered when they retired. “I was raised that way,” he concludes.
One of his favorite things, he says, is “meeting other people and hearing their story. Everyone’s got a story, and some are really amazing.”
Matt Hanzlik
One of the best things about being a HICAP volunteer counselor, says Tania Kazakova, is rubbing shoulders with other volunteers who consistently support and lift one another up in regular training sessions.
“We like each other, and that’s a big part of the job,” says Kazakova, who has been helping HICAP in Orange County for 10 years. “It’s a really good group of people who meet, talk, and have fun, too. It’s not just ‘do your job and go home.’ We exchange a lot of energy and camaraderie.”
In her former work life as a financial planner, Kazakova acquired a knack for going over peoples’ many options with them. She found those skills were a good fit as a volunteer counselor with HICAP, looking at insurance from all angles.
“It’s a fascinating field. The learning never stops, and that’s what keeps me going.”
Tania Kazakova
Keith Kinsman discovered HICAP out of necessity. When he became eligible for Medicare at age 65, he had questions, and a HICAP counselor helped him quickly and effortlessly.
“That was an unusual experience,” says Kinsman, who lives in Lake Forest. “When I retired, I thought, ‘I don’t want to do nothing, and those guys at HICAP are pretty cool.’ I thought I would be a good fit.”
Kinsman didn’t expect the reward of warmth and gratitude from those he helps, as well as collegiality among the other volunteers and HICAP staff.
“The quality of the people, the environment in which they support you, and the good you can do for people who have no one else to turn to sometimes. That’s a rare trifecta.”
Keith Kinsman
Margaret Noel is new to her position as a volunteer with the Long-Term Care Ombudsman program but after working as a nurse for 40 years, she believed it to be a good fit for her.
Rather than following up on a doctor’s orders with medications or other treatments, Noel says, her role with the ombudsman program is to be an advocate on behalf of the resident whether they have minor complaints about meals or difficult roommates, for example, or serious allegations involving financial or other elder abuse.
“We begin an investigation. We research. We listen. We refer,” she says. “It’s really satisfying to be able to negotiate, get people to speak to each other and work together and try to do some of their problem-solving.”
Margaret Noel
Mary Proctor retired “without a game plan” in 2013. She’d been a state worker with experience in claims adjusting and vocational rehabilitation, but she knew little about Medicare. A friend suggested she look into HICAP in Santa Ana, which was seeking volunteers.
That was seven years ago. Proctor volunteers at the HICAP call center and a senior center and especially enjoys working with newly eligible Medicare beneficiaries because she knows that if you make application mistakes early, they can be hard to fix later.
Volunteering also has helped fill the void in her life after the death of her husband a year ago.
“After he passed away, I went into a fog state,” she says. “This gave me a reason to get out of bed in the morning.”
Mary Proctor
Part of the magic in volunteer counseling is providing multiple options in a neutral manner to older people who really need it, in contrast with brokers or agents pushing one product to make money, says Kwok Tam.
A five-year volunteer with Orange County HICAP, Tam helps people in Mandarin and Cantonese as well as English. He sees a special need for Medicare counseling among older Asian people, he says.
“Some come with frustration about Medicare benefits,” Tam says. “You sit down and explain things, and they calm down and say, ‘Oh, OK – now I understand.’ People are very thankful when they can see a light at the end of the tunnel. I do feel satisfaction for that.”
Kwok Tam
Kristin Taylor, a former elementary school teacher, was “getting a little bored in retirement” and researching Medicare options for herself when a friend suggested asking HICAP for help. When she got the information she needed, she realized she could be the one giving it.
That was 12 years ago, and Taylor is still volunteering – and loving the interaction with people who are just like she was. “You get so much in return from the people. It’s very gratifying,” she says.
A few years ago, Taylor reviewed prescription drug plans for a couple who were paying far more in premiums than needed. In short order, she provided information that would save them $3,000 a year.
She also takes inquiries from plenty of younger people trying their best to care for aging parents. “When we finish,” Taylor says, “I always say, ‘Thank you for what you’re doing for your parents.’ Most of the time they cry because nobody thanks the caregivers.”
Kristin Taylor
Older volunteers supporting older adults can fuel communities. California programs serving older adults like HICAP (the Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program) helps with Medicare matters and California’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman program sends volunteers into skilled nursing facilities and residential care homes to make regular visits to assess clients’ welfare and investigate allegations of elder abuse.
These programs are continually searching for volunteers, especially those from different backgrounds. Learn how to become a volunteer and hear from current volunteers who are helping those in their community.
Make a difference through volunteering
Demand for volunteers has grown since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and both programs are eager to find more people willing to serve. They especially seek volunteers from different backgrounds, and people who speak languages other than English to better serve and reflect the communities they represent.
Learn how to become a volunteer for a program like HICAP or the Long-Term Care Ombudsman.
The Governor’s California Volunteers program, launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, also enlists volunteers of all ages and for many kinds of programs, including disaster response and AmeriCorps.
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