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News from Community Care Corps

March 2024

National Volunteer Month


National Volunteer Month is coming up in April! This observance recognizes and honors volunteers who give their time and energy to provide invaluable support within their communities. The 2023 Independent Sector Value of Volunteer Time was $31.80 per hour. Given the direct care workforce shortages we are facing, it is important to recognize and show appreciation for volunteers who offer their time, knowledge and care to uplift and support others. In this month’s blog post, C3 Project Manager, Sara Paige, notes that C3 volunteers report satisfaction and an increased sense of purpose from the services they provide. Program participants report that C3 volunteers have made their daily life easier to maintain, lowered their stress levels and maintained or improved their mental and physical health. This April, make sure to thank a volunteer for the critical work they do and consider finding a rewarding volunteer opportunity in your community! 

Grantees in the News

DOROT, a past C3 grantee, was featured on the Tamron Hall Show. The segment focused on the positive relationships and social connection that can blossom between intergenerational pairs. The older adult and volunteer featured in the episode bonded over their love for chess. DOROT provides both virtual and in-person programs, art workshops, health and wellness classes, as well as other social gatherings. Learn more about their efforts to address social isolation amongst older adults in their community.


A local Oregon newspaper featured a story about current C3 grantee Council on Aging of Central Oregon’s Caring Connections program. The story highlights two older adults who joined the Caring Connections program, and after an initial phone call with one another, became great friends. Caring Connections matches volunteers with older adults for weekly phone calls or in-person visits at no cost, providing meaningful connections within the community.


A recent CBS News feature highlighted the virtual caregiver support program offered by Duet: Partners in Health & Aging, another past C3 grantee. The support group offers caregivers a place of respite and Duet has now trained facilitators in 15 states, Canada and Navajo Nation. In addition to Duet’s comprehensive services for family caregivers, they also provide volunteer services for homebound adults and services for grandparents raising grandchildren. 

New Rural Resource from Commit to Connect


Social isolation and loneliness are prevalent public health issues impacting millions of Americans. Nearly one-fifth of older adults live in rural areas, and as a result are at a higher risk of experiencing social isolation and loneliness. Commit to Connect, a cross-sector initiative dedicated to fighting social isolation and loneliness, developed a topical guide, aimed at assisting staff and volunteer leaders from organizations serving older adults and people with disabilities in rural areas seeking to enhance or initiate social engagement efforts. The guide discusses challenges and opportunities for social engagement in rural areas, tips on developing social engagement programming in rural areas, and provides programs and resources to increase social engagement. 

Credit for Caring Act

An estimated 53 million Americans are caregivers, and they provide more than $600 billion worth of unpaid care for their loved ones. In response, the Credit for Caring Act has been reintroduced to Congress. This bill would provide up to a $5,000 federal tax credit for eligible and working family caregivers. This tax credit could potentially cover home care services, adult day care, home modifications, assistive technology, respite care, transportation and other caregiver expenses. This bill aims to provide financial relief for family caregivers and help caregivers remain in the workforce by easing financial strain. 

HHS Announces a Multi-Pronged Effort to Strengthen Direct Care 

The U.S Department of Health and Human Services has announced new initiatives and resources from the Administration for Community Living’s Direct Care Workforce (DCW) Strategies Center. The DCW Strategies Center seeks to address the shortage of local professionals who provide services to older adults and people with disabilities. This multi-pronged effort includes two technical assistance opportunities; a national hub to connect states, stakeholders, and communities to best practices and resources for direct care workforce and a webinar series for states and stakeholders.

A Better Algorithm Can Bring Volunteers to More Organizations


Volunteers need reliable recruitment platforms to connect them to organizations needing their help. VolunteerMatch is the largest online volunteer recruitment platform, but it has reported that many organizations were not finding the volunteers they needed. Researchers found that this was a result of a recommendation algorithm sorted by relevance and popularity, causing all other opportunities to be less visible. To increase the number of opportunities that received engagement, Yale researchers modified the algorithm to achieve more equitable engagement. The modified algorithm resulted in an 8-9% increase in organizations receiving at least one volunteer to sign up. Due to these positive and consistent results, VolunteerMatch has deployed this new version of the algorithm nationwide. 

Get to Know the Community Care Corps Grantees


Our grantees have begun producing videos showcasing the value and impact of the volunteer models they plan to implement in their local communities. Visit the Community Care Corps Vimeo page to stay up to date with their work!

In the News


Events


  • Collaborating for Justice for Older African Americans: In Conversation About Collaborating for Justice | National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life, April 16 at 2:00 PM ET | Register
  • Strategies to Address Social Isolation and Loneliness for People Living with Dementia and their Caregivers Webinar | National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center, April 23 at 2:00 PM ET | Register
  • Summit 2024: The Movement to Reframe Aging | National Center to Reframe Aging, April 10 at 9:00 AM ET | Register
  • Sustainability: Keeping Dementia Programs Active Years After Initial Funding Ends | National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center, April 9 at 2:00 PM ET | Register
  • Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Symposium | Administration for Community Living, May 2 | Register
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This project #90CCDG0001 is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $11,421,971 with 80 percent funded by ACL/HHS and $2,921,348, or 20 percent funded by non-government source(s). The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by ACL/HHS, or the U.S. Government.