About the Senior Companion Program
The mission of the GSUASCP is to provide a high quality volunteer experience that will enrich the lives of the volunteers while helping the homebound, older adults and individuals with disabilities maintain their dignity and independence in their own home.
Senior Companions assist adults who need extra support to live independently in their own homes. They serve frail older adults, adults with disabilities, those with a terminal illness and offer respite for caregivers. Senior Companions care for adults in Bryan, Bulloch, Candler, Emanuel, Effingham, Evans, Jenkins, Screven, and Tattnall counties. Senior Companions are matched with clients according to needs, abilities, and distance. Senior Companions serve 5-40 hours per week and earn tax-free hourly, meal, and mileage stipends.
Senior Companions assist their adult clients in basic but essential ways, including:
- Supervision for those who wander or are bed-bound
- Offering companionship and friendship to isolated and frail adults
- Assisting with simple chores to maintain living conditions
- Limited transportation
- Assisting with meals
For more information, contact Shay Paulk, SCP Program Coordinator, at 912-478-0712 or spaulk@georgiasouthern.edu.
Our History
The Georgia Southern University Senior Companion Program (SCP) began in the late 1980s with a federal grant from the Federal Corporation for National & Community Service (CNCS). Some of the original companions are still with the program after all these years! Our volunteers have contributed nearly 40,000 hours of one-on-one care for frail adults in the past year. Since the beginning of the program, Georgia Southern Senior Companions have contributed more than 1 million hours! The Georgia Southern University Senior Companion Program is sponsored by the Center for Social Gerontology
Becoming a Senior Companion
If you’re 55 or older and want to share your experience and compassion, then you have what it takes to be a Senior Companion. Whether you’re giving families much needed time off, running errands, or simply being a friend, you’ll make a difference that strengthens and helps preserve an individual’s independence. Senior Companions serve 5-40 hours per week and qualify to earn tax-free hourly, meal, and mileage stipends that help support them with items such as utility bills, medication, and transportation. As a Senior Companion, you’ll also attend an orientation and monthly training.
Sign Up a Senior for the Program
Volunteer Experiences
Hear from our senior companion volunteers about their experiences in the program.
Evelyn Spencer has volunteered for five years. She learns a lot from her clients.
Hazel has volunteered for 12 years. She likes to quilt with her client.
Rosa has volunteered for five years. Her client was 102 years old.
Mary Lee Brown has volunteered for 12 years. She has stayed with her client until they have recovered, she now says she has the will to live.
Daisy has volunteered for one year. She has transitioned her client from a nursing home, back to her client’s home.