Michigan Association of Foster Grandparent & Senior Companion Programs

Stories of Service

Helping Others Becoming Friends

Kaye Smith

Senior Companions - St. Joseph

This story is from: Area Agency on Aging Region V  

"Love in Action" Incudes a video on their website

Check out: "Love in Action"   

This story is shared from their website:

"Four years ago, Kaye signed up to be an Area Agency on Aging, AmeriCorps Senior Volunteer after seeing a story about it in the Niles Senior Center Newsletter. She was not working anymore and wanted to help others. She felt like volunteering would be a great way to stay active but didn’t know that ultimately her volunteerism would spark someone to volunteer to help her.  

Kaye is currently a Senior Companions to four area seniors. One of them is named Georgianna, or Bootsie as her friends call her. Kaye and Bootsie forged an instant bond after they had realized their late husbands had grown up together. Bootsie’s daughter Tamera would come over often to sit and chat with both the ladies. Sometimes Tamera would call Kaye to thank her for helping her mom, and to check and see if Kaye was doing was ok. 

Kaye says that she really enjoys being a Senior Companion because it helps keep her brain more alert. She also likes the fact that being a companion gets her out, keeps her active, and that she gets to have conversations with other people, which she greatly enjoys. 

 “That is the best part. I like to say, if you don’t use it, you lose it,” jokes Kaye. "