Our commitment to the long-term care community is to provide them with highly qualified and committed volunteers.

Sometime during our life, all of us have felt the anguish of being left behind, or forgotten. More than half of all nursing home residents feel that everyday. Why? They never receive a visitor. Is it serious? Yes. In fact, it's deadly. Studies show that they are twice as likely to die in the same period as those that do get visitors. They die, not from old age, but from a broken heart. They ask: "Does anyone remember me?"

Socialization of the nursing home resident is sadly lacking. Statistics show that less that 46% of residents actually receive visits from anyone. Those visits are effective in warding off behavior issues, overuse of drugs, depression and even attempted suicides. The highest rates of attempted suicide occur in persons over 85, women leading the men. Restored purpose, value, and dignity give people a reason to wake up. Further, residents who get visitors get better care. Elder abuse is on the rise.

For the volunteer, working with older adults is an enriching experience as the older adult is a repository, a library if you will, of a life time of experiences and accumulated wisdom they share with their visitors. It is a common reaction of our volunteers to state that they feel like they are getting a lot more from the experience than they are giving. As to what our volunteers do? They are "there" for the residents. This could mean one-on-one visits to outings to simply sitting together. The training is comprehensive and prepares the volunteer for the long-term care environment.

You generous donation allows us to continue sending out highly qualified and committed volunteers. We are pleased to say that we accept ITEX. Please go to our website: http://www.community-360.org , click on Donate and then click on ITEX. You'll be glad you did!

Community 360 is a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the frail elderly living in nursing homes. Many of them suffer from severe depression brought on by feelings of abandonment and loneliness. They are at the mercy of an industry in crisis. Now when they need help the most, there is no one there for them. We recruit and train people to become "family" and advocates for them. We know that residents who get visitors get better care. Less than half of them ever get a visitor from anyone. We serve them regardless of their religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.

Keywords: volunteers, nursing, homeelderly, age