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Partners in Care Maryland Inc. is a volunteer-based, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping older adults to live independently in their homes.
The program operates under a “neighbors helping neighbors” model that provides social engagement, promotes aging in place, and helps people get to where they need to go, according to Kathleen Dormody, Mid-Shore site director. It is open to adults over 60 who reside in Caroline and Talbot counties.
The member care program offers a low-vision warm house, which is a place for visually challenged members to get together for activities, a phone buddy program, medical alert services, and access to resources, including filling out paperwork and providing referrals to other agencies as needed.
Partners in Care also hosts social learning workshops with experts addressing topics such as recognizing scams and fraud, driver safety, wills and estates, making final arrangements, and more.
“It’s a way for us to make sure seniors are getting access to vital information,” Dormody said.
Other member services include an annual veterans luncheon and a holiday elf program.
The transportation program is popular. Members can schedule rides to medical appointments, the pharmacy, the grocery store or other destinations.
Partners in Care volunteers provide “arm-in-arm, door-to-door” transportation anywhere on the Shore, Dormody said.
Members can reserve four rides a month, one per week, which must be scheduled at least a seven days in advance. A ride can include two stops, for example, to the doctor’s office and the pharmacy, as long as both are scheduled.
The organization also offers a Repairs with Care program, which helps with things like changing light bulbs and installing grab bars, Dormody said.
Members are asked for a monthly giveback, but that giveback can take many forms. Some people pay $20 a month. Others donate to the Partners in Care resale boutique. Some volunteer with different aspects of Partners in Care, like the phone buddy program. Others have a family member volunteer for them. Members can make arrangements that fit their personal circumstances, Dormody said.
Volunteers can be any age adult, and whatever anyone can do is appreciated, she added. Volunteers set their own schedules. Drivers pick and choose the trips they want to make. And volunteers also earn time for themselves with the organization.
Partners in Care runs full background checks on both volunteers and members to keep everyone safe, Dormody said.
To learn more about Partners in Care, call 410-822-1803 or check out its Facebook page. The office and boutique are located at 8694 Commerce Drive in Easton. The boutique is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays, offering clothing, shoes, housewares, and décor items.
The Mid-Shore Partners in Care office is one of three in the state. The other locations are Pasadena and Frederick. All operate under a volunteer board of directors out of Anne Arundel County.
