About Senior Voices
Senior Voices is a Houston volunteer program, started by students, that pairs volunteers with older adults in senior living communities for weekly visits.
How we started
Our founder never met their grandparents. They passed away before the founder was born. Growing up, they watched friends leave in the middle of a game: a grandma was visiting, or it was time for the weekly call with grandpa, or the family was having dinner at the grandparents' house. Our founder never had to leave. There was no one to leave for.
That absence raised a question. How many older adults in senior living communities have a lifetime of stories and no one asking to hear them? And how many young people never get to sit down with someone from that generation?
Senior Voices began as one person's search for the grandparent connection they never had. Today, students visit the same resident every week, get to know their stories, and pick up where they left off. The resident gets someone who shows up on the same day and remembers what they talked about. The student gets someone to leave early for.
Students started the program, and anyone with an hour a week is now welcome to apply.
What we believe
- Keep coming back
- The same person, at the same time, every week. If plans change, the person expecting you hears it from you.
- Remember what you hear
- Volunteers write a short note after each visit so the next conversation picks up where the last one ended. How visit notes work.
- Let people choose
- Residents decide whether to take part, what to do, and what to share. A quiet day or a change of subject is fine.
- Know your role
- Volunteers keep people company. Decisions about health and care belong with staff and families.
Questions about the program? Email us.