Friendships formed

Friendships aren’t often formed by filling out a form, but for six individuals in the Senior Companion Program, that’s exactly how it started.

The program takes individuals who perhaps live alone, are homebound or have other circumstances that would cause loneliness and pairs them with a companion.

Eva Berry, 87, was referred to the Senior Companion Program by the Commission for the Blind. She has macular degeneration, which makes her legally blind so she can’t drive. Joan Rousseau, 71, is Berry’s companion to help with her eyesight. The two have been together since March.

Judy Hanby, 83, has macular degeneration and lives with her husband, Dick Hanby, 87, who is hearing impaired; the two have been married for more than 50 years. Their daughter, who lives in North Carolina, was concerned about her parents getting older and wanted them to be able to spend time apart, which is how she found out about the Senior Companion Program. That’s where Theresa McGovern came in.

McGovern, 63, had retired and wanted to do something meaningful and then she learned about the program. Judy Hanby and McGovern have been paired up since August.

Lane Phillips, 83, and Earl Fitz, 59, have been friends for the past four months. Phillips was looking for a trustworthy and reliable person to provide live-in care as he is handicapped, but then found out about the Senior Companion Program.

Fitz moved to the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley a year ago from Bremerton, Wash., after retiring six years ago, and he was looking to volunteer in the community. At first he was thinking of coaching baseball, but then he found information online about the Senior Companion Program. The more he learned about the program, the more interested he became. So he signed up.

While the program has been around for 50 years, it’s only been offered for Nez Perce, Asotin and Latah counties recently. It’s funded through a federal grant that was awarded in 2020 and, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was a slow start. People weren’t wanting to go into other people’s homes and older people, who were more susceptible to COVID-19, were hesitant to have visitors.

Two years ago, Linda Wells was hired as the Senior Companion Program manager to get it off the ground. Now there are 15 companions for about 35 clients. Most companions have at least two clients. Wells, along with WA-ID Volunteer Center Executive Director Cathy Robinson, are working on getting Latah County up and running with more clients and companions, which is difficult since they don’t have an office there.

There are no specific requirements for the clients other than being lonely or homebound and not living in a nursing home or care facility. Companions, on the other hand, have to be 55 or older and there are income requirements as well. The program is funded by a federal grant and is part of the AmeriCorps Seniors Program, which is a division of AmeriCorps.

Companions are volunteers but they do get a nontaxable hourly stipend. They aren’t caregivers, health care workers or house cleaners. They are required to give five hours a week to the program, but can take personal time off.

Information about becoming a client or a companion is available at waidvolunteercenter.org or by calling (208) 746-7787.

“There’s nothing like it in the valley,” Robinson said. “There is no companion program that doesn’t cost the client anything.”

Other services like home health care, house cleaning or transportation cost money. The program also provides respite care for those who are caring for family members. The companions aren’t cleaners or caregivers, they’re friends.

“It’s with a capital C,” Judy Hanby said. “It’s a real positive, positive thing.”

The program helps the senior clients, but companions also benefit by giving them a social structure, some extra money and giving back to people.

“ ‘Purpose’ is a huge word when it comes to being a companion,” McGovern said. “No doubt about it, it’s the first word that comes to my mind.”

Getting paired up

After an application is completed by a companion and a client signs up, Wells talks with both the client and the companion to make sure they’re a good fit for the program. For the client, that means making sure they know the person coming to visit them isn’t going to be providing health care, but instead offer friendship. She does a home visit to see if they have animals and to make sure the home is safe. Companions must pass a full background check and go through a 20-hour orientation.

“I want it to be safe for my companions as well as for the clients,” Wells said.

During that process Wells has gotten to know the clients and the companions, their personalities, their likes and dislikes, and their hobbies.

“So there’s a little bit of matchmaking involved — personality matching,” Robinson said.

It even can go beyond matching personalities. Wells used the example that if someone has a soft voice, they wouldn’t be a good match for someone who has hearing difficulties.

Wells also tends to pair up women with women and men with men. That can be difficult because there’s not a lot of male clients. Wells said that for a long time, there was only one man who was a companion so she “loaded him up with clients.” Fitz is the second male companion and she recently recruited two more.

Even though there are companions for men, Wells said some men still don’t want to be part of the program. Robinson said some men feel like they’re losing their independence if they ask for help from someone else.

Sometimes when companions and clients start off, they can be “a little reluctant.” But Wells said once they’re matched, it doesn’t take long for friendship to grow.

While Fitz has three men he’s a companion for, he has a special connection with Phillips.

Both are sports guys, from fishing to baseball, and Phillips was a professional baseball player. Both of them have sons who played baseball for Lewis-Clark State College. With their love of LCSC baseball, they are planning to go to the Avista NAIA World Series together this year. Phillips hasn’t been able to go to the Series in a while because he didn’t have transportation, but this year Fitz will be able to take him.

At other times of the year, the two sometimes watch games together or will call each other during games. Phillips said that Fitz tends to root for the losing team.

“We got a little bit of the sarcastic humor between us on that,” Phillips said.

Fitz is a Minnesota Vikings fan, which lost 27-9 to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL playoffs. Phillips was calling Fitz during the game as they were losing. Fitz told him he wasn’t accepting calls, but Phillips just kept calling back. Fitz doesn’t mind the teasing from Phillips since he’s been retired he’s missed that camaraderie from co-workers.

“I worked pretty much all my life and I always had a good time at work,” Fitz said. “A lot of it had to do with giving and taking, the razzing during the day and it’s nice to have that back.”

What they do

Companions help their clients go to doctor’s appointments, grocery shopping or fun outings together. Companions also help clients connect with resources, one of the benefits Wells highlights. She’s seen companions help clients get hearing aids, phones for the hearing impaired, get a grant to fix someone’s stairs or find someone to clean their house. All companions are given a list of resources as part of their training and the list is updated monthly.

Rousseau has also helped Berry with her banking and prescriptions, labeling them so she can see them. While Berry needs help with her eyesight she’s in good shape physically, which Rousseau has learned when they go grocery shopping.

“I can barely keep up with her when we’re in Rosauers or Albertsons,” Rousseau said. “It’s practically running behind her.”

Berry gave up driving last March because of her eyesight, which also meant giving up her independence, a difficult thing to do.

“(The Senior Companion Program has) been such a blessing in my life, I don’t know what I’d do without them. They’ve helped me stay in my home,” Berry said. “If it wasn’t for her (Rousseau’s) help I would probably be needing care in my home or assisted living.”

The two also do fun activities together like play Rummikub together — the game has large tiles so Berry can see the numbers. Berry and Rousseau say the game is fun and good to keep the mind working. The length of Rousseau’s stay sometimes depends on the game.

“I want to stay if I’m winning, otherwise I might go home,” Rousseau joked.

For McGovern and Judy Hanby, they will go for coffee, take a walk or sit and talk.

“It’s just good to have a friend that’s not living in the same room,” Judy Hanby said. “So it’s given some independence to both (her and her husband) — given us some space.”

McGovern has also helped the Hanbys move boxes in storage and assisted with technology, getting family photos off their phones to be printed.

“Theresa (McGovern) has been an absolute gift because we are really age-appropriate, not low-tech, no-tech people, and she has really helped us with our phones,” Judy Hanby said. “And we need a lot of help because we don’t remember.”

McGovern and Judy Hanby also talk about their families and spend time getting to know each other. Her help with technology has made the Hanby’s family conversations easier. The Hanby family don’t have to worry about their parents as much now that McGovern is visiting on a regular basis. The relationship also benefits McGovern, who lost her parents 25 years ago.

“So it’s kind of neat to be around people that remind me of my parents in a way,” McGovern said. “It just feels good to be able to help.”

Fitz takes Phillips swimming to help him walk in the water. The two have also gone fishing together — Phillips was especially happy behind the wheel of the boat. One day Fitz brought over some old baseball cards and Phillips got out his memorabilia. But most of the time, they just talk sports and Fitz listens to Phillips’ stories.

Most of the companions visit their clients once or twice a week depending on each of their schedules. Both the companions and the clients always look forward to the visits.

“The people that do it, we love it,” Rousseau said. “They truly love being the companions, they take a real interest and concern for them (the clients).”

McGovern has told others she knows to become a companion and has recommended clients to the program. Judy Hanby sees a lot of need for the Senior Companion Program and she spreads the word as much as she can.

“We can’t say enough positive about you guys, seriously,” Judy Hanby said.

Friendships formed

While the Senior Companion Program gives clients the ability to live at home, friendship is the greater gift.

Judy Hanby and McGovern said they became friends almost immediately and have shared a lot of laughs together.

“As far as I’m concerned, we’re friends for life,” McGovern said.

“As far as I’m concerned, that’s mutual,” Judy Hanby said.

Before Fitz showed up, Phillips was having issues with loneliness, depression and dealing with his loss of mobility, especially after being an athlete.

“Earl (Fitz) is a companion, but it’s almost gone to the place now where he’s my brother,” Phillips said. “I’ve had a lot of depression, a lot of depression, (but) since Earl has started to come, I can say with all honesty it’s helped a lot from that standpoint.”

His family has seen a change in Phillips — they can tell he seems happier, and he is. Instead of just him and his cat, Sundee, he has someone else to converse and share a meal with.

Fitz was also dealing with loneliness after moving to the valley and didn’t have much to do. Like Phillips, Fitz had a pet dog he turned to for support but he knew he needed a social life.

“It’s been really, really enjoyable and it just makes me feel a little bit more of the community,” Fitz said. “It’s not a work thing to me anymore or a volunteer thing any more. It’s kind of our little family thing that we all do together and try to bring a little bit of happiness and pay it forward.”

When companions come in for their monthly meeting, Wells loves listening to their stories of what they’re doing with their clients. It’s all stories of getting their lives back after losing their independence and getting rid of loneliness that gives them a new lease on life.

Companions take clients to places that others might take for granted, like going for ice cream or to Costco for a hot dog — for many clients, it’s the first time they’ve done those activities in years. Wells heard a story of a companion who took her client on a car ride through the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley.

“And she literally got tears in her eyes. She had not been out like that for years. No one had taken her, and her companion took her,” Wells said. “It just touched her so much, just a wonderful day for her. Those are the kinds of things that you’re really making a difference in the lives of people.”

Rousseau can’t say enough good things about the program and getting to meet Berry. The help that Rousseau has given her has bonded their friendship.

“We have a good time together,” Berry said. “Now we’ve become very good friends, (Rousseau’s) more like a sister to me.”

Brewster may be contacted at kbrewster@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2297.