GLENWOOD SPRINGS — Sometimes clichés simply speak the truth. For local seniors, good help is hard to find.

That’s according to RVSP director Cheryl Cain and one of her newest volunteers, George Wear. For those not in the know, Cain’s organization pairs hundreds of seniors with local non-profits. Now, with Wear’s help, the group is embarking on a new mission, one that sounds deceptively simple at the get-go. The point is to help seniors with their chores.

“It’s hard to find people to help when you need basic stuff, like snow shoveling, those kind of things,” Wear explained.

At 51, these aren’t hardships he faces, yet he sees the need all around him. During this unusually harsh winter, he was constantly helping out his parents, both in their 80s. Though he was certainly happy to do so, it made him realize how difficult it must be for other seniors, those without a strong-backed friend or relative nearby. He found that even those with the cash to pay a “handy man” had a hard time finding one.

An engineer by trade, he’d just started working part-time when he realized the gravity of this problem. With extra time on his hands and a desire to help, he decided to see what Cain thought of this issue. As it turned out, she was right there with him.

“A lot of seniors end up leaving their homes because they can’t take care of their basic needs,” he said, paraphrasing Cain.

He thinks there’s no reason for this, not in such a friendly community. Every day, he said, he knows locals are helping out their friends and neighbors already. As he sees it, the program would just focus and organize the helpful vibe that naturally flows through the area. Recently, Cain applied for grants to help fund the effort.

By summer, Wear hopes the program will be up and running in Glenwood. He imagines a “neighbor-based” network of volunteers, attuned to the needs of the older people around them. It looks as though local organizations, such as Youth Zone and Rotary might get involved as well. The program could also grow to include a group of professionals, connecting directly to seniors with the ability to pay for services.

Whatever form it takes, he’d love to see the program extend through the valley. Right now, the future is wide open.

So no, there aren’t any concrete details so far. As of yet, the program doesn’t even have a a name. But what it does have is a mission — quite a big one.

“We want to get a program that can help seniors,” Wear said. “So they can live independently as long as possible.”

Contact Stina Sieg: 384-9111
ssieg@postindependent.com