My friends with early stage memory loss are among my best personal advisors. They seem to have a way of getting to the heart of a matter, and understanding what’s important.
They might be able to give advice to a variety of people through the Elder Wisdom Circle (EWC), an online site where anyone can ask for personal or career advice, and get a free, private response via email. Requests for advice are assigned to the most appropriate volunteer or group of volunteers among a pool of 600 “elders,” age 60 to 105.
The work is done through the Elder Wisdom Circle’s online system, says founder Doug Meckelson. If you’re not confident you can navigate an online system, you may still be able to volunteer.
“It’s possible for someone with limitations to work in a group or with a younger friend,” Doug says. “We simply do not have resources to provide technical help, so the vast majority of our Elders are very tech savvy or live in an assisted living facility and rely on the staff to provide a Circle as a weekly activity. The EWC does not create groups or locate helpers so the prospective Elder would need to do that on their own.”
You can find more information and read some sample advice at the Elder Wisdom Circle. Click on “Offer Advice” to fill out an application.
Interesting, hadn't heard of this before.
Posted by: Derrick | April 15, 2010 at 08:46 PM