Volunteer with Seniors- Friendly Visits, Grocery shopping, Medical accompaniments, Tech Help

Entraide Bénévole Métro is a non-profit organization that provides support to seniors experiencing temporary or permanent loss of autonomy in the downtown and Westmount areas. Our involvement helps clients maintain their independence and stay in their community through the efforts of our volunteers and staff.

Our primary services include friendly visits, grocery shopping, and medical or banking accompaniments. According to your schedule, we ask for a minimum commitment of two months and a minimum volunteer time of two hours per week. If you would like to pursue this, we would be happy to welcome you as one of our volunteers. All EBM volunteers receive in-person orientation.

To apply, please email ebmmetro@vif.com. We can also be reached at 514-939-9575 between 9:00 am and 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday.

Website: https://ebmservices.org/

1801 de Maisonneuve ouest #750 Montréal, Qc H3H 1J9

Responsibilities:

Our volunteers may fulfill any of the following tasks (on a weekly or as-needed basis): friendly visits, grocery shopping, tech help or medical and banking accompaniments. Volunteers may need to assist clients while walking, getting in and out of cars, and carrying heavier items (groceries).

Note about tech help: This involves assisting our clients with questions about computers, laptops, tablets, and cell phones. Most requests are on an as-needed basis, with some clients seeking weekly friendly visits focused on tech help. Volunteers with any background or knowledge related to the above, as well as tech accessibility knowledge, may indicate their interest when applying.

Required skills/qualities:

Our clients may have reduced hearing, vision, physical mobility, or memory. Therefore, it is crucial to demonstrate patience, geniality, compassion, and nonjudgmental active listening.

Volunteering through EBM is non-supervised. Our services are conducted on location at the client's home, and, depending on the service, may also involve going with the client to a clinic, hospital, bank, store, etc. Once assigned a task, volunteers are expected to manage their time and communication with the client(s). Of course, we encourage regular communication and reaching out to our volunteer coordinators as necessary.

We welcome any skills relevant to working with seniors or that help improve our clients' everyday lives. Note: EBM services do not include cooking, cleaning, or hygiene-related tasks.

We encourage students in health and social services to sign up, as this opportunity can provide valuable experience.

Bilingualism is an asset but not necessary, as is knowledge of languages beyond English or French.

Volunteer post schedule:

There are no fixed hours; volunteering can be done in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings, any day of the week, according to your schedule. We ask for a minimum commitment of two months and a minimum volunteer time of two hours per week.

• Friendly visits and grocery shopping are done on a weekly or bi-weekly basis
• Medical accompaniments are an as-needed service suited for individuals who would prefer volunteering on demand

Please note: We are specifically looking for volunteers available Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Those with availability outside of those hours may still apply.

Advantage/what we offer:

• Bus ticket reimbursement: EBM offers reimbursement of STM tickets for volunteers who do not have a monthly Opus card when travelling to and from a client’s home via bus or metro.
• Educational workshops and volunteering activity nights: opportunity to meet other EBM volunteers, workshops on a wide range of topics around volunteering with seniors, and just-for-fun activities

Language

English and/or Français