Because no one should be alone

Volunteer Guardianship One-on-One (VG) recruits, screens, trains, matches and supervises community volunteers who make substitute decisions and help preserve the voice of those with a significant health-related cognitive impairment (such as dementia) or developmental/intellectual disabilities.

Our guardians take a hands-on personal approach to ensuring that the people in their care:

• have their assets protected
• have access to medical care and other resources
• live in a safe and least restrictive environment
• are able to participate in activities that help enrich their lives and wellbeing up to and including end of life

Volunteers have described the experience of developing a relationship with the person in their care as life changing… and it is, for both people.

Eloise is developmentally disabled and lived under the care of her mother for many years. She was 51 when her mom died, leaving her in the care of an estranged sister in the small house they were living in. It wasn’t long before the sister moved her boyfriend in and Eloise out to a small shed-like building on the property and failed to provide adequately for her basic needs. A neighbor called Adult Protective Services (APS) who removed Eloise immediately.

VG was contacted and quickly identified a volunteer guardian waiting to be matched. Eloise and Rhoda have been together for five years. Eloise is now well cared for and happy. She lives in a small group home near Rhoda where she can have the supervision she needs and still socialize with others. She and Rhoda see each other often. They go to lunch, visit with Rhoda’s horses, and have even scheduled their mammograms at the same time!

Please consider volunteering! You can make a positive impact on someone just like Eloise.