Navigators are paired one to one with adults living with chronic illness, increased frailty or social isolation to support them with their social, emotional, and practical needs.
As a Volunteer Navigator, your focus will be on improving the client’s quality of life in the ways that they determine are best. In some cases, this may mean supporting access to other community services, looking up information online for them, undergoing creative problem-solving, and filling in forms. In other cases, you may simply be asked to sit and visit, play cards, or look at photo albums together.
Do not underestimate the value of being, even when you don’t feel you are doing much. In all cases you will be looking to broaden a client’s support network – for example, setting up homecare services to help do meal prep and wash dishes instead of doing that yourself. You may of course help in a pinch, but your overarching goal is to ensure that a client is not dependent on you to be able to continue living comfortably and safely in their current situation. You are there to help them build a supportive circle they can lean on.
Volunteer Navigators need:
- To be excellent listeners and communicators
- To be warm and empathetic
- To understand families and how they work
- To be able to treat each person as an individual and see their unique gifts
- To be able to help or collaboratively solve problems
- To be flexible and adaptable
- To know how to access resources
- To be able to maintain clear boundaries
- To be able to empower a client and family to make the decisions that are best for them, even if you do not agree with their choices
- To have extra time and mental energy to dedicate to a new relationship in service of another
Commitment
As a Volunteer Navigator, you will be expected to connect with your client every 1 to 3 weeks. Consistency will be expected of you, as it is a major part of building trust and connection. You can expect to spend 4 to 8 hours a month volunteering, including group volunteer debrief sessions quarterly, online optional education sessions, and one to one debriefs with the Coordinator as needed. Participation in two of the four annual group volunteer debrief sessions is expected to enhance learning and knowledge sharing. Volunteer-client pairs commit to at least a 6 month relationship. This gives you and the client a chance to get comfortable together and develop a closer bond. We ask for this commitment as it is disruptive to repeatedly rematch a client. During your time volunteering, it is normal and expected that you may take time away for vacation or holidays, so long as clear communication about timelines and when the client can expect to hear from you are established ahead of time with the Coordinator and the client.
