The use of senior volunteers in the care of discharged geriatric patients

This article reports on a project that utilized senior volunteers in the ro le of health advocates for geriatric patients discharged from a hospital. T he project was evaluated to determine if healthy and active seniors could m ake a contribution to the health and social welfare of such discharged elde rly persons. The study was conducted in Montreal, Canada and funded by a fe deral grant from Health Canada. The research collaborators came from a 414- bed secondary cave university-affiliated community hospital, a community so cial service agency with a mandate to respond to Me needs of its frail elde rly constituents, and a university-based research centre that works with he alth professionals in various settings to develop and evaluate service prog rams addressing the needs of disadvantaged families and individuals.