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Introduction
Neighbors Helping Neighbors (NHN) is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving those who are aged 65 and older throughout Salt Lake City, UT who may be at risk of institutionalization due to a lack of social supports (e.g. family, friends, church, aging services) and/or limited financial resources (e.g. low- and fixed-incomes). Utah is one of eight states in the nation expected to experience a "doubling effect" of the numbers of older people by 2020 and it has the sixth fastest growing older population in the nation ([18] Write, 1999; [17] Wright and Rice, 2001). Public service programs cannot meet all the needs of this population thus making programs like NHN essential in meeting the needs of community-residing older adults. In this respect, NHN is like many human service organizations; volunteers are providing an increasing number of services and are essential to the long-term success of the organization ([2] Cnaan and Cascio, 1998).
The mission of NHN is to improve the health, safety, and quality of life of community-residing older adults through the promotion and maintenance of independent living. NHN strives to enable older adults to "age in place" and reside in the community for as long as possible. The goals of NHN are to:
- link older adults with community resources to address unmet needs;
- provide reassurance and opportunities for socialization in an effort to minimize isolation, loneliness, depression, and anxiety;
- provide continuous assessment as well as ongoing support, follow-through, and monitoring to ensure that identified needs are met; and
- bridge the gap between formal aging services and informal community resources by building community through partnerships with diverse neighborhood entities.
These goals stem from identified needs of community-residing older adults regarding their preference to "age in place" ([12] Mahmood et al. , 2008). Research has shown that nearly 90 percent of older adults wish to remain in their communities and age in place ([15] Stoner and Guengerich, 2008). The types of services identified by older adults that are necessary to remain in their communities and age in place include social interaction, supportive services, and simple improvements in home safety and repair including modifications such as grab bars, handrails, and painting ([7] Guengerich, 2008; [15] Stoner and Guengerich, 2008; [16] Trickey et...