The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) is a self-sponsored nonprofit that provides assistance to senior citizens and disabled people and has a group of volunteers in Winnemucca to provide essential services to those people.
Executive Director and CEO Susan Haas went before the city council last week to brief councilmen on the program and ask for assistance for funding for a van that would be used by program volunteers to provide transportation to the home-bound.
Haas told councilmen that the support system offered by RSVP is comprehensive and the goal is to keep people independent for as long as possible.
"We have a comprehensive support system which assists senior citizens and disabled people to remain independent and in their homes for as long as possible where they are healthiest and happiest," she said.
One thing she hopes the program can improve, however, is its ability to provide transportation.
"A huge problem in our state is a lack of transportation," she said. "It is the greatest deterrent to accessing goods and services needed to remain at home."
She said she has been working on receiving funding with the RSVP Winnemucca field representative Brian Nelson, but more assistance is needed. The goal is to try to acquire a vehicle or van for volunteers so they are able to get clients to various places and appointments.
Mayor Pro-Tem Doug Cain said he recognizes transportation is an issue and said the city might be able to contribute in some way.
"It's definitely something that's needed," he said. "I know that transportation is huge."
Cain said that because the city has not finalized its budget, it's possible something could be contributed toward a vehicle.
Haas said she would greatly appreciate any help the city could offer in order to move forward in a partnership and grow the program even more.
Nelson said RSVP is exploring other opportunities for funding as well and he is currently working on planning a "senior-type Olympics games" for people aged 55 and older as a fundraiser. Nelson said he has participated in similar events in the past and thinks it could work well in the community.
Haas said the main focus of the RSVP program is keeping senior citizens and disabled persons in rural Nevada in their homes. She said the transportation RSVP provides helps do that. Especially because it is escorted transportation, she said.
"We actually walk them to the door," she said. "We can provide them with the emotional reassurance that's so necessary for the confined elderly."
Haas said the goal of RSVP is to provide a "care partnership," with the person who is ill at the center of that partnership.
According to Haas, Alzheimer's is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. and one in eight people develop some form of dementia after 65. After 85, one in two people develop dementia, she said.
"It's a tough thing to face alone and we work to find support for those family members," she said.
Although the city did not make a determination on whether or not to provide funding assistance for a van at the meeting, the council seemed amenable to discussing the idea further.
Cain also presented Haas with a proclamation during the council meeting that recognized transportation as a service that is lacking and acknowledged the RSVP program for its assistance in that area.
As mayor pro-tem, Cain issued "an invitation to serve those who want to make a difference with their skills and talents in service to our community and work together to help seniors remain independent in the comfort of their homes."
The RSVP volunteer mission is to provide meaningful volunteer opportunities for people aged 55 and older with a lifetime of experience, to serve in a variety of volunteer settings throughout their communities. Any persons 55 or older can be RSVP volunteers and need not be retired.[[In-content Ad]]
