JASA PE T S Pro je c t: Stre ng the ning Co nne c tio ns Be twe e - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Je wish Asso c ia tio n fo r Se rvic e s fo r the Ag e d JASA PE T S Pro je c t: Stre ng the ning Co nne c tio ns Be twe e n Olde r Adults a nd T he ir Anima l Co mpa nio ns Ale xa ndra Co llie r, MPA Dire c to r, Vo lunte e r Se rvic e s a nd Spe c ia l Pro je c ts

“I ’ m ve ry g rate ful fo r [my vo lunte e r’ s] he lp, she spe nds time talking with me and is a ve ry b rig ht and inte re sting wo man. She is also a frie nd. Be st o f all, the PE T S Pro je c t pe rmits me to have my c at.” – PE T S Clie nt

Ab o ut JASA E sta b lishe d in 1968, JASA is o ne o f the la rg e st c o mmunity-b a se d, vo lunta ry so c ia l se rvic e a g e nc ie s se rving o lde r a dults in the Unite d Sta te s. T he a g e nc y pro vide s se rvic e s to mo re tha n 55,000 e lde rly Ne w Yo rke rs e a c h ye a r.

JASA PE T S Pro je c t T he JASA PE T S Pro je c t a ddre sse s the ne e ds o f e lde rly pe t o wne rs who se c a pa c ity to c a re fo r the ir pe ts ha s b e e n c o mpro mise d b y fra ilty, illne ss a nd/ o r ina de q ua te inc o me . T he PE T S Pro je c t suppo rts c lie nts thro ug h the mo b iliza tio n o f a de dic a te d c o rps o f vo lunte e rs.

PE T S Pro je c t: An Ove rvie w F o r o lde r a dults pe t o wne rship c a n: •Pro vide c o mpa nio nship, se nse o f purpo se •I nc re a se se nse o f se c urity •I mpro ve se lf-a c c e pta nc e •I nc re a se inte ra c tio n with o the rs •L e sse n sympto ms o f a nxie ty •E nc o ura g e a mo re a c tive life style

JASA PE T S Pro je c t T he PE T S Pro je c t wa s fo unde d in 1996 in re spo nse to a c lie nt who did no t ha ve the re so urc e s to b o a rd he r pe ts during a ho spita l sta y. Vo lunte e rs we re fo und to he lp c a re fo r the pe t a nd the c lie nt wa s a b le to g e t the me dic a l c a re she ne e de d.

PE T S Pro je c t: An Ove rvie w T he PE T S Pro je c t pro vide s a numb e r o f se rvic e s to c lie nts, inc luding : • Re c ruiting , tra ining a nd c o o rdina ting vo lunte e rs to he lp with pe t c a re ta sks • Pro viding re fe rra ls fo r ve te rina ria ns a nd o the r pe t c a re pro vide rs • Offe ring fina nc ia l a ssista nc e to he lp de fe r pe t c a re c o sts, up to $250 pe r ye a r • Re fe rring to o the r so c ia l se rvic e s a s ne e de d

PE T S Pro je c t: An Ove rvie w • Sta ffe d b y a n L CSW Co o rdina to r a nd a n Assista nt Co o rdina to r • L o c a te d within JASA’ s Vo lunte e r De pa rtme nt • Vo lunte e r Co o rdina to rs pro vide re c ruitme nt a nd re te ntio n se rvic e s a nd pro vide o ng o ing suppo rt to vo lunte e rs • Curre nt b udg e t o f $153,000

PE T S Pro je c t: F a st F a c ts Ove r the pa st ye a r, the PE T S Pro je c t ha s: • Se rve d 135 c lie nts in Ma nha tta n, a 31% inc re a se fro m 2008 • Re c ruite d, tra ine d a nd pla c e d o ve r 106 vo lunte e rs to c a re fo r c lie nts’ pe ts • Co ntinue d to b uild a ne two rk o f pe t c a re pro fe ssio na ls to pro vide fre e o r lo w-c o st pe t c a re to o ur c lie nts

PE T S Pro je c t: F a st F a c ts • Appro xima te ly 220 c lie nt visits a re ma de b y sta ff e a c h ye a r • Appro xima te ly 100 vo lunte e r c o nta c ts a re ma de we e kly • Clie nt a g e ra ng e is 60-99 ye a rs o ld, with a n a ve ra g e a g e o f 75 • Clie nts a re a ll lo w-inc o me o r living o n limite d fixe d-inc o me s

PE T S Pro je c t: F a st F a c ts • I n 2009 the PE T S Pro je c t re c e ive d a ppro xima te ly $10,000 o f pro b o no ve t c a re se rvic e s • T he re a re 27 pe t c a re pro fe ssio na ls in JASA’ s ne two rk, inc luding ve te rina ria ns, ve t te c hs a nd a nima l ho spita ls

PE T S Pro je c t: F a st F a c ts • T he pro g ra m o rg a nize s pe t fo o d drive s a nd fundra ise rs to pro vide fre e pe t fo o d fo r o ur c lie nts’ pe ts • T he pro g ra m de sig ns e duc a tio na l a nd o ng o ing suppo rt pro g ra ms fo r o ur vo lunte e r c o rps

T he So c ia l Wo rk Co nne c tio n Pa rtic ipa tio n b e ne fits c lie nts in ma ny wa ys: • E sta b lishing a n o ng o ing so c ia l ne two rk c o nne c tio n • I nc re a sing so c ia l c o nta c t • Re duc ing the se ve rity o f ho using pro b le ms a sso c ia te d with pe t-o wne rship

T he So c ia l Wo rk Co nne c tio n • Cre a ting o ppo rtunity to disc uss e nd -o f-life issue s • Ba c k-do o r fo r so c ia l se rvic e s

T he Vo lunte e r Co nne c tio n • A c o rps o f o ve r 100 vo lunte e rs se rve the PE T S Pro je c t • T he a ve ra g e vo lunte e r visits a c lie nt mo re tha n o nc e a we e k to he lp with pe t c a re ta sks a nd c lie nts a re o fte n ma tc he d with mo re tha n 1 vo lunte e r • Vo lunte e rs he lp o rg a nize pe t fo o d drive s, pa rtic ipa te in vo lunte e r re c ruitme nt fa irs, a nd muc h mo re !

T he Vo lunte e r Co nne c tio n Vo lunte e rs a re re c ruite d in a va rie ty o f wa ys, inc luding : • Vo lunte e r re c ruitme nt we b site s • Co mmunity se rvic e fa irs • Co mmunity o utre a c h • Sc ho o ls, Co lle g e s a nd Unive rsitie s • T he Pro je c t is c urre ntly re c ruiting re c e nt re tire e s a va ila b le during the da y

T he Vo lunte e r Co nne c tio n • Vo lunte e rs a pply a nd a re sc re e ne d • A sta ff me mb e r a c c o mpa nie s a vo lunte e r o n the first visit • All vo lunte e rs re c e ive o ng o ing suppo rt fro m JASA’ s Vo lunte e r De pa rtme nt • All Vo lunte e rs a re invite d to pa rtic ipa te in the PE T S Pro je c t Adviso ry Co unc il

E va lua tio n • I n 2009, the PE T S Pro je c t b e g a n a re se a rc h pro je c t, whic h inc lude s b o th a q ua lita tive a nd q ua ntita tive a sse ssme nt •Surve y to o ls ha ve b e e n de ve lo pe d to me a sure the e ffe c tive ne ss o f PE T S a nd pro vide e vide nc e -b a se d re se a rc h tha t will info rm future pro g ra mming de c isio ns a nd re plic a tio n e ffo rts

E va lua tio n •T he q ua lita tive surve y is de sig ne d to a sse ss the impa c t o f the PE T S Pro je c t in he lping c lie nts re duc e the da y-to -da y fina nc ia l a nd physic a l b urde ns o f c a ring fo r the ir pe ts •T he surve y is b e ing re fine d a nd will b e a dministe re d to a sa mple g ro up o f PE T S c lie nts in the c o ming mo nths

E va lua tio n •T he PE T S Pro je c t is a lso la unc hing a q ua ntita tive a sse ssme nt pro c e ss •Upo n e nro lling in PE T S, ne w c lie nts will b e a ske d to pro vide re spo nse s, e ithe r in pe rso n o r b y te le pho ne , to a sho rt surve y a ime d a t a sse ssing the e xte nt to whic h the y a g re e o r disa g re e with sta te me nts c o nc e rning the ir fe e ling s a b o ut va rio us a spe c ts o f c a ring fo r the ir pe ts

E va lua tio n • Afte r six mo nths o f re g ula r se rvic e s pro vide d b y PE T S, the surve y will b e re -a dministe re d to a sse ss whe the r PE T S is ha ving a po sitive impa c t upo n c lie nts’ a b ilitie s to c a re fo r the ir pe ts fina nc ia lly a nd physic a lly, re sulting in de c re a se d fe e ling s o f stre ss a nd a nxie ty

E va lua tio n • JASA ho pe s tha t the se re se a rc h pro je c ts will pro vide e vide nc e -b a se d va lida tio n fo r re plic a ting PE T S in o the r c o mmunitie s.

PE T S Pro je c t: A Ho listic Appro a c h Volunteers Social Worker Clients

F unding • Amie ’ s Pla c e F o unda tio n • I sa a c H. T uttle F und • F o rd F o unda tio n • A K inde r Wo rld F o unda tio n • Mo rris P. L e ib o vitz F o unda tio n

“I he lp to make [the c lie nt’ s] life a b it e asie r. I walk he r do g 4 time s a we e k, Saturdays as we ll, and so me time s I ac c o mpany he r o n sho pping trips. I think he r do g like s the c o mpany, to o .” – PE T S Vo lunte e r

“We all ne e d he lp, and it was a wo nde rful e xpe rie nc e wo rking with [the c lie nt and his do g ]. [T he do g ] was so de vo te d to [the c lie nt], and the lo ve o f the do g fo r his maste r made me lo ve him e ve n mo re .”-PE T S Vo lunte e r

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