People, pets, and music are inherent to the human soul. FriendshipWorks ensures that these connections continue to provide support for isolated older adults. Service areas include all of Boston, Brookline, Newton, Somerville, and Cambridge.
FriendshipWorks matches older adults, (60+ years of age or 55+ for those with visual or hearing impairments) with caring volunteers for friendship and assistance. All programs are free to program participants with no income or insurance restrictions for eligibility.
We offer five free one-on-one and group programs so that older adults can choose what they want and need.
We also have Spanish-speaking staff members and can often match older adults with volunteers in a variety of languages.
Our Programs Include:
Friendly Visiting: Friendly Visitors develop one-on-one relationships with older adults. They visit once a week to drink coffee or tea, share stories, go for walks or do errands together or assist with small tasks. Over time, both people grow and learn from each other, often becoming great friends. Serving Boston, Brookline, Newton, Cambridge, Somerville.
Medical Escorts: Our Medical Escorts offers comfort, reassurance, and mobility/navigation assistance to elders beginning inside the home, continuing to the doctor’s office and appointment room, and ending with a safe return back inside the home. Serving Boston, Brookline, and Newton. Please note that requests for medical escort services require 14 business days' notice in advance of a medical appointment. This time allows our coordinators to identify and schedule an appropriate volunteer for your escort.
Friendly Helpers: Volunteers provide short-term assistance to older adults who need help with specific tasks. Activities might include: helping with organization, seasonal tasks, errands, or picking up library books. Serving Boston, Brookline, and Newton.
PetPals: This pet visitation program brings volunteers and their pets to visit older adults living in long-term care facilities. Serving Boston, Brookline, and Cambridge.
MusicWorks: Musicians bring the joy of music to older adults in the buildings where they live, offering the opportunity to listen, engage, and participate in group activities that include singing, dancing, and playing instruments. Serving Boston and Brookline.
To learn more about how FriendshipWorks promotes an inclusive and safe environment for all those involved in our programs, please click here.
The fastest way to put in a request for yourself or for someone else is to complete our short, online referral form. (This form allows us to better track your requests!)
The “Make a Referral” page provides additional information answering many of the questions you might have about participating in, or referring to, our programs.
You can also call 617-482-1510 and follow the prompts for the program you would like. Or visit our Contact Us page for the specific coordinators for each program and neighborhood.
