18,612 seniors
Open your heart and lend a hand.
Many seniors in our community desperately want to stay in the home they know. The home where they raised their families. Imagine if you didn’t live in the same town as your aged parents or grandparents, and they couldn’t get a ride to the doctor’s office, get to the grocery store, our do routine safety checks at home.
Right now in Allegheny County alone, there are over 35,000 seniors over the age of 85 who are striving to stay in the homes they love. This population is projected to continue to increase, meaning thousands more seniors will face challenges to daily independent life.
As part of our smart investments to help older adults live safe and healthy at home, United Way’s Open Your Heart to a Senior initiative matches older people with trained, committed volunteers who tangibly help them live independently and connect them with vital services when needed.
Last year, over 17 nonprofit senior service organizations, funded by United Way, partnered to recruit 1,378 volunteers, providing 30,000 hours of service to 3,764 seniors. As a result, 83% of seniors report feeling safer at home and 94% report falling less.
You can help by volunteering your time or providing funding that will support the recruitment, training and management of caring volunteers, training of new agency partners, and ongoing quality assurance of the program.
