When Better at Home opened its doors five years ago, it was inundated with seniors and caregivers, looking for assistance to help keep seniors in their own homes.
The United Way program aims to help seniors with day to day tasks so they can continue to live independently for as long as is safely possible.
It is celebrating five years on Monday, May 7, and program co-ordinator Brenda Gardiner says Better at Home has made a huge impact on the community.
The program has almost 400 seniors registered, and almost 120 volunteers.
Since the program began in Quesnel, Gardiner has put in about 8,400 work orders in aid of seniors at home, for tasks including house cleaning, snow plowing, grocery shopping, visiting and transporting.
“The majority of work is free to seniors, and this helps them to stay in their homes longer. The number of clients we have shows the need for this in our community,” says Gardiner.
Most of the assistance they offer is done by volunteers.
“I have a stellar bunch of volunteers, so much so that I get asked by the provincial Better at Home body to teach volunteer retention, because of how committed our volunteers are here,” she says.
Gardiner hopes the provincial government will continue to recognize the value of the work done by Better at Home.
“What we give to these seniors is life changing for them.
“We make a difference in their lives and it’s a beautiful experience.”