Barbara Hebert and John Hebert
Brookline Medical Reserve Corps/Brookline Department of Public Health, Massachusetts
November 19, 2014
As population trends shift, the Brookline Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) within the Brookline Department of Public Health in Massachusetts developed the Emergency Preparedness “Buddies Program.” This program aims to match trained volunteers with at-risk elders to improve preparedness and resiliency.
When Hurricane Irene ripped through New England in late summer 2011, it made a lasting mark not only on the local landscape but also on the Brookline MRC. Following reports of elders with disabilities who were without power or assistance for several days, the Brookline MRC applied for and won a grant to develop an emergency preparedness “Buddies Program” that matches trained MRC and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) volunteers with Brookline elders. Training for the new program — believed to be the first of its kind within the MRC — began in Spring 2012 with assistance from FriendshipWorks, a Boston-based nonprofit organization whose mission is to enhance the quality of life of elders and disabled adults. The Brookline pilot program was implemented in summer 2013, and Buddy visits began in August 2014.
As population demographics shift, the program fills a growing need. In its August 2013 America’s Families and Living Arrangements report, the U.S. Census Bureau reported that the number of one-person households had grown 10 percent over the prior 40 years, from 17 percent of total households in 1970 to 27 percent in 2012. In Brookline, more than 10 percent of the town’s 26,448 housing units are occupied by elders 65 or older who live alone.
The Brookline MRC Emergency Preparedness Buddies Program matches trained volunteers with Brookline elders and adults with disabilities who often live alone and have little or no family support. Seniors are referred by organizations like the town’s Senior Center and local community mental health center, and by physicians.
After the elder is contacted and the program explained, a trained volunteer is matched with the elder. An intake meeting is arranged; program coordinator Cheryl Snyder and a volunteer visit the elder and discuss emergency preparedness. The Buddies (elder and volunteer) meet one or two more times to set up communications plans, and prepare supplies for potential evacuations or sheltering.
Before known events such as a hurricane, blizzard, or heat wave, volunteer Buddies call to remind the elder to prepare with water, food, and medications. After an event, Buddies call to check in again.
Response to the program has been strong from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and from other communities. As of September 2014, 80 Brookline elders had been referred to the Emergency Preparedness Buddies Program; approximately 20 volunteers had been trained; and 10 to 12 had met with their elder buddies.
“In Brookline, we have a vulnerable population of elders living alone, with no family members or caring friends to assist them in times of emergency. It is obvious we needed to address the problem, and the MRC seems the perfect organization to do that,” said Dawn Sibor, Director, Brookline MRC. “Now we’re stepping up the pace of training volunteer Buddies and actively recruiting more through our MRC and CERT networks.”
As population trends shift, the Brookline Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) within the Brookline Department of Public Health in Massachusetts developed the Emergency Preparedness “Buddies Program.” This program aims to match trained volunteers with at-risk elders to improve preparedness and resiliency.
