Who oversees the Volunteer Care Teams program?
Volunteer Care Teams is a service of Full Life Care, a not-for-profit health and social services organization based in Seattle. Full Life is dedicated to improving the quality of life for adults and their caregivers. We help adults of all ages with chronic illnesses and physical or developmental disabilities regardless of their income. The program receives funding from the King County Veterans Seniors and Human Services Levy.
Who are the volunteers?
Volunteers are caring individuals from all walks of life. They are college students, retirees, working professionals and neighbors. They are interviewed by Full Life Care staff, submit background checks and references, verify Covid 19 vaccination status, and are required to participate in training.
When will the volunteers be available?
This is flexible, depending on caregiver’s needs and team member’s availability. Service hours are typically between 7:00 am and 9:00 pm. Most volunteers have full work and family lives, so their availability will vary. Thankfully there will be 3-6 volunteers to support you and you should be able to work out a mutually beneficial schedule.
Will they be able to support personal care for my care recipient?
This program does not provide personal care or health care services. Volunteers are not trained for toileting, bathing, transferring, administering medications, or feeding care recipient. However, they are available to ease your time in other ways, such as reading, conversation, and companionship with your care recipient, running errands and helping with household or yardwork projects
Can the volunteers take me places?
Some, but not all volunteers, are willing to transport guests in their vehicles. This will be up to the volunteers on your support team. This shouldn’t be counted on, but Full Life Care can offer referral and connections to other resources for your transportation needs.
What if my Care Team and I don’t fit?
You don’t have to make a decision right away about committing to a team of volunteers.
You’ll start on a trial basis during the first three months, so you and your team can get to know one another. You’ll have 1 main contact person from the team who will coordinate with the others. Our staff will check in with you regularly and can offer support as you work out details with your new Care Team. At any point, if you feel that the team or the service is not right for you, we will work with you to find another team or service that best meets your needs.
How does the program work?
Care Teams staff will complete an intake interview with you to learn about your needs and collect demographic and other details about your preferences. We’ll work to build a volunteer team to best meet your needs and once identified, we’ll contact you to discuss the next steps.
Once you and the team have agreed, here’s what happens next:
- One lead volunteer from the team will first call you to introduce the team and arrange plans for support.
- After a 3-month trial period, if you and the team mutually agree to continue, our volunteers will continue supporting you for a full year, with the option to renew or replace members each year.
- All visits are arranged between you and the team.
- Care Teams staff will remain in contact with you and your team regularly throughout the relationship. We can facilitate connections and provide additional referrals as needed.
- You or your team can stop participating at any time and for any reason.
