Project OASIS: Volunteer Mental Health Paraprofessionals Serving Nursing Home Residents

Abstract

As a method to meet some of the emotional needs of institutionalized elderly, a demonstration project was developed to train older adult volunteers as mental health paraprofessionals for nursing homes. Cases studied reflected the effectiveness of the program for residents, as well as benefits to the staff. Included are details on the recruitment, training, and supervision of the volunteers; the paraprofessional services they provide; and the problems encountered during the 2-year demonstration period.