During the summer months, Jubilee provides an award-winning summer camp to over 150 kids. What most people don't know is that the camp takes up every available square foot of our campus, resulting in a lack of space for our senior programs.
This year, Jubilee's Community Outreach Team debuted senior home visits to bridge this gap. Alejandra and Samantha, Jubilee's Community Outreach Staff, set out to make 20 senior visits in three months, with a goal to let senior residents know that Jubilee is here for them year-round. They were looking for ways to provide resources and assistance while spending quality time one-on-one with the seniors.
The 21 homes they visited provided an important window into the needs of Jubilee's senior residents, including fall prevention/accessibility, pet care, and household maintenance to name a few. Here's what happened on one of the visits:
"When we visited Ms. David's* house, we noticed that her dog looked very thin and like he had chewed off patches of his fur due to fleas and a rash on his skin. This dog is Ms. David's best friend. She was devastated that she didn't have the money to pay for veterinary treatment. It was so easy to connect her with our veterinary partner. We gave her the number, and helped her call it right then and there. Within a few hours they came by, picked up Ms. David's dog, and took him to get his shots and medication. She was so grateful when he came back looking like a new dog! He's like her baby, and we know she is better off with a healthy pet."
Jubilee serves over 300 seniors every year and hopes to use the summer home visits to learn more about senior needs. Summer senior programs already include free food distribution, Baylor health topics seminars, and off-site field trips, but we now know a lot more about how to help our elderly neighbors. With more information, we can seek out funding and volunteers to improve lives and strengthen community for senior citizens in Southeast Dallas.
Should you wish to get involved with Jubilee's senior program, you can plan a service project to install ADA home improvements and paint flower pots like Wells Fargo, collect and distribute hygiene products like the Jubilee Young Leaders, or join Samantha and Alejandra on a home visit by emailing us at volunteer@jubileecenter.org.
*Name changed to protect our neighbor's privacy