Being There for Those in Need

For older adults living at home, the regular visits and help provided by Senior Companions can be what gets them up in the morning...and keeps them going. John Antsy, a 78-year-old, does his good deeds 20 hours a week as part of the federally-funded Senior Corps. Among Mr. Antsy's tasks are bringing one couple groceries and prescriptions, spending time with an isolated woman tethered to an oxygen tank, and providing respite for a caregiving wife. He is one of the 13,600 Senior Companions --all older than 55--who served nearly 61,000 clients nationally last year. More than 40 percent of the companions are over 74. To learn more about this stipended program, click here.