Safety and participation
What we expect from everyone who takes part in a visit, and what to do if something goes wrong.
Choice and dignity
Residents choose whether to take part, what to talk about, and when to pause or end a visit. A volunteer's enthusiasm never overrides another person's comfort, energy, privacy, or decision to say no.
Boundaries
Volunteers follow community rules, meet in the agreed location, tell the coordinator early about schedule changes, and bring questions to the coordinator. Volunteers do not take on medical, financial, transportation, legal, or caregiving responsibilities.
Private stories and identifying details stay private. Visit notes record only what will help the next conversation, never health, money, or anything shared in confidence. Talk with the coordinator before agreeing to gifts, money, off-site plans, or contact outside the program.
If something feels wrong
If a situation feels unsafe, pressured, discriminatory, or beyond a volunteer's role, step away if needed and contact community staff or the Senior Voices coordinator. In an emergency, call 911 first.
Send general concerns to contact@senior-voices.org. Do not include sensitive health or resident information in email. Start with a short summary and ask for a safer way to follow up.
Stories and photographs
Taking part in visits does not give anyone permission to record, photograph, quote, or publish another person. Sharing a story or photo publicly is a separate decision.
- Talk with the coordinator before recording, photographing, or writing about anyone.
- Ask the person what they are comfortable sharing, what should stay private, and whether they want their name used.
- Show them the finished piece and confirm where it will appear before anything is published.
- If they are unsure, do not publish.