42 U.S.C. § 5013: Grants and contracts for volunteer service projects

The Director is authorized to make grants to or contracts with public and nonprofit private agencies and organizations to pay part or all of the cost of development and operation of projects (including direct payments to individuals serving under this part in the same manner as provided in section 5011(a) of this title ) designed for the purpose of providing opportunities for low-income persons age 55 or older to serve as “senior companions” to persons with exceptional needs. Senior companions may provide services designed to help older persons requiring long-term care, including services to persons receiving home health care, nursing care, home-delivered meals or other nutrition services; services designed to help persons deinstitutionalized from mental hospitals, nursing homes, and other institutions; and services designed to assist persons having developmental disabilities and other special needs for companionship. Subsections (d), (e), and (f) of section 5011 of this title , and such other provisions of part B as the Director determines to be necessary, shall apply to this part, except that for purposes of this part any reference in such subsections and such provisions to part B shall be deemed to be a reference to this part. The Director is authorized to make grants or contracts after 1 subsection (a) for senior companion projects to assist homebound elderly individuals to remain in their own homes and to enable institutionalized elderly individuals to return to home care settings. 1 So in original. Probably should be “under”. The Director is authorized to recruit, subject to subparagraph (B), senior companion volunteer trainers who on the basis of experience (such as, doctors, nurses, home economists, social workers) will be used to train senior companion volunteers to participate in and monitor initial and continuing needs assessments and appropriate in-home services for senior companion volunteer recipients. The needs assessments and in-home services shall be coordinated with and supplement existing community based home health and long-term care systems. The Director may also use senior companion volunteer leaders, who on the basis of experience as volunteers, special skills, and demonstrated leadership abilities may spend time in the program (in addition to their regular assignment) to assist newer senior companion volunteers in performing their assignments and in coordinating activities of such volunteers. Senior companion volunteer trainers recruited under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph shall not be paid stipends.