Neighbors Helping Neighbors—You Can Make a Difference

One of the joys of living in Franklin County and the North Quabbin region is the sense of community you get from these small towns. I’ve lived in the North Quabbin area for the past five years, and one of the first things I noticed was how tight-knit the community is, with neighbors who wave to each other and say hello.

Something else I have noticed about my own neighborhood is the many older adults living here, and that the helping spirit is alive and well, with neighbors bringing over food to those who need help with meal prep, and other neighbors mowing the lawn for folks who need help with yardwork.

If you are a neighbor helping an older adult, LifePath wants to help you be paid for this work by directing you to one of the many home care agencies that we contract with.

We see these small acts happen all the time, and we’re familiar with them. But something that most community members are likely unfamiliar with is the workforce-shortage crisis in the home care aide industry. LifePath has over 1,100 older adults we serve who rely on in-home care to remain safe in their home with a positive quality of life, and too many of them are waiting for services, and waiting for too long. Many of these folks don’t have extensive needs—they need someone to do two hours a week of housework for them, or help them do their laundry. Some just need a companion, a person to socialize with so they don’t feel so lonely.

LifePath has a long history of creative thinking, and so do the agencies that we work closely with. It is out of this spirit of creativity and passion for the work we do helping older adults, that LifePath, in conjunction with Danielle Lord, COO at O’Connell Care at Home, came up with the idea for a grassroots effort called Neighbors Helping Neighbors. This campaign focuses on our commitment to finding folks who would like to be paid for tasks they are already doing, for their neighbors or older adults living in close proximity.

If you are a neighbor helping an older adult, LifePath wants to help you be paid for this work by directing you to one of the many home care agencies that we contract with. We have a dedicated phone line that will be monitored by experienced staff in the Home Care department, who will talk with you further about what town(s) you would like to work in and what tasks you’d like to do. Then our staff will direct you toward the next steps of getting hired by an agency to do this work.

Only a few hours a week could help keep your neighbor living safely and happily in their home, as well as help you to make a little extra money while giving back to your community. Anyone interested can call our dedicated phone line at 413-829-9299 to get started!