Sylvia Sweet’s Thursday routine involves waiting in her living room at 2 p.m.

Sweet, who lives at a mobile home park in Lynnwood with her daughter, would wait for Vivian Vu to arrive. Vu is a senior companion volunteer at Homage Senior Services and has been visiting Sweet once a week for about a year. 

“She’s great,” Sweet said about Vu. “She’s a sweet lady.”

Vu said her favorite part about being a volunteer is socializing with those around her. After she retired, she wanted to do something that would keep her engaged. Being a senior companion volunteer was the answer.

“I’m a social person,” Vu said.

The senior companion program aims to support older adults and people with disabilities in King and Snohomish counties. The volunteers help with grocery shopping and meal preparation, among other activities. AmeriCorps Seniors funds the program.

Sweet has dementia and has experienced decreased hearing since March 2024. She lives with her daughter, Noreene Whitkop. When Vu visits Sweet’s home, they usually chat in the living room or watch TV.

Vu often shows photos of her family and friends to Sweet, Whitkop and sometimes her partner, Terry Costello, when he is present. Costello would teach Vu some words in English, which Vu said she enjoys.

“She’s always laughing and having a good time with us,” Whitkop said about Vu.

Vu and other senior companion volunteers work with two to four clients per week, Mary Ann Higgins said, who is the senior companion program coordinator at Homage Senior Services.

As of December 2024, there are about 30 senior companion volunteers and about 80 clients are enrolled in the program. There has always been a need for more volunteers, especially when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Higgins said.

“There’s a little more awareness of the impact of people being socially isolated,” she said.

Those interested in becoming a senior companion volunteer must be at least 55 years old. They must be available at least five hours per week, and they must meet the income eligibility criteria. They must also complete an application, background check and orientation before working with clients. They are not required to drive.

Those interested in getting a senior companion must be at least 60 years old, or they must be an adult of any age living with a disability. They must also live in a home or independent apartment. They must not be in an assisted living facility or an adult family home.

More information on how to become a senior companion volunteer or how to get a senior companion can be found at the Homage Senior Services website.

– Story and photos by Angelina Relente

Angelica Relente is a Murrow News Fellow covering housing and related issues in South Snohomish County for the My Neighborhood News Network.