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Senior Companion

If you serve an older adult aged 55 and older who is in need of companionship, Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging’s Senior Companion Program may be right for them. Our program can connect your participants, clients or residents with a trained peer volunteer who can share a friendly conversation, offer companionship and minimize isolation. 

Senior Companion volunteers can help the older adult you serve with: 

  • Running occasional errands 
  • Staying engaged in enjoyable activities at home or in the local community 
  • Light meal preparation 

Prior to entering an older adult’s home, Senior Companion volunteers receive extensive training and education on: 

  • Responding to crises 
  • Communication protocols 
  • Recognizing the signs of elder abuse, self-neglect and exploitation 
  • Reporting potential abuse to Adult Protective Services  

Below is a list of residential facilities and organizations in the Greater Cleveland area where our trained Senior Companion volunteers are located.  

To receive a Senior Companion, the older adult you serve must be a current resident at: 

 

 Site Name  Site Liaison  Phone Number
RH Myers Tamera Ellis (216) 831-6515
Stone Gardens Assisted Living Maria Viñas (216) 831-5452

 

Or, to receive a Senior Companion, you or your loved one must be receiving services from:

 

 Site Name  Site Liaison  Phone Number
Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging Todd Simmons (216) 373-1751
City of Euclid: Euclid Senior Center Bob Payne (216) 289-2985
McGregor PACE (East)
McGregor Pace (West)
McGregor PACE at Langston Hughes Center
Karen Lisy (216) 202-1650
Paul W. Alandt Rose Center for Aging Well Beth Sipple (216) 373-1751
Western Reserve Area Agency on Aging Karen Bauer (216) 539-9266

 

If you know an older adult over the age of 55 living in the Greater Cleveland area who would be interested in becoming a Senior Companion to help isolated older adults in the community, please visit our Volunteer page for more information.  

Become a Volunteer Station 

Volunteer stations are locations where our Senior Companion volunteers can provide supportive, individualized services to help older adults with special needs maintain their dignity and independence. Senior Companions are not assigned to nursing homes or other long-term care facilities. However, if a participant currently matched with a Senior Companion is relocated to such a facility, the volunteer may continue to serve them during short-term stays in the facility, or assist with transitioning the participant over a 30-day period to help get them comfortable within long-term care. 

Examples of volunteer stations include the following: 

  • Home health care agencies 
  • Public health departments, including clinics 
  • Private non-profit or proprietary health agencies 
  • Public and private non-profit social services and mental health agencies and associations 
  • Rehabilitation associations and centers 
  • Senior centers and multi-purpose centers 

If your organization is interested in becoming a volunteer station, use the below contact information for Todd Simmons to schedule an introductory meeting. An annual station fee may apply. 

Volunteer Station Forms 

If you serve as a volunteer station to the Senior Companion Program, the forms located on the left of this page must be completed. Upon completion, fax to (216) 373-1814. Forms will not be accepted from individuals or organizations other than approved volunteer stations.  

Partners: 

The Senior Companion Program provides programming and volunteer orientation support in partnership with the City of Cleveland Department of Aging and Hospice of the Western Reserve. 

For more information about the Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging Senior Companion Program, or to learn more about becoming a volunteer station, please contact Todd Simmons at (216) 373-1751. 

Leadership

Leadership

Todd Simmons, MSW, LSW

Administrator of the Senior Companion Program

Contact: intake@benrose.org | (216) 373-1751

Todd Simmons is the Administrator of the Senior Companion Program at Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. Simmons joined Benjamin Rose in 2016. Simmons has more than 16 years of experience working with the older adult population. He also has a special passion for working with older adults and their family caregivers.

Todd Simmons is the Administrator of the Senior Companion Program at Benjamin Rose Institute on Aging. Simmons joined Benjamin Rose in 2016.

Simmons has more than 16 years of experience working with the older adult population. He also has a special passion for working with older adults and their family caregivers.

Prior to joining Benjamin Rose, Simmons served as a social work intern at the Adult Day Program. During his internship, Simmons helped the Center for Research and Education at Benjamin Rose launch the Music & Memory pilot program. He also started a caregiver support group and monthly newsletter. Simmons also served as a member of the Ohio Scholars in Aging program in partnership with the Ohio Department of Aging.

Simmons earned a master’s degree in Social Work from Cleveland State University, including a Graduate Certificate in Gerontological Studies.

Simmons currently serves on the Annual Conference Committee of the Cuyahoga County Conference on Social Welfare, and recently served on the “Friends of Sterling” committee composed of members with ties to Sterling Recreation Center in Cleveland.

Simmons has volunteered for more than eight years with the Cleveland Scrappers, an adaptive softball team for the blind and visually impaired.