Services We Provide Our Members
For Capitol Hill Village members, help with the needs and problems of daily life
(or a social night out) is a single phone call or e-mail message away. Make it a
habit to call the Village first to discuss your needs with the Executive Director
or a volunteer, whatever they may be. Below is a list of frequently requested services.
Convenience Services
Sometimes, although a member is capable of performing a particular task, he or she
is unable to do so because of multiple commitments, family emergencies, scheduling
problems, out-of-town travel, or some other circumstance. Volunteers are available
to run errands, care for pets, wait for a repairman or delivery, or perform other
routine activities that have become too complicated or difficult for a member to handle alone.
Electronics and Computers
Help with vexing electronics and technology issues, including computer set-up and
management, and programming thermostats, DVDs, phones, and clocks.
Financial Assistance & Tax preparation
Advice and assistance on matters of financial management such as monthly budgets,
bill paying, mortgages, and tax preparation. Volunteers will serve as advocates
should a misunderstanding or disagreement arise between a member and a commercial
vendor or government agency.
Gardening Advice and Help
Volunteers will water outdoor gardens or indoor houseplants, offer gardening advice,
and do light weeding and planting. If the member prefers, CHV will recommend a landscape professional.
Home Care Assistance
When CHV members require personal in-home care on a regular basis or over an extended
period, CHV refers them to a fee-for-service home-care agency. Available services
include bathing, dressing, feeding, and walking (activities of daily life, or ADL).
The agency usually has a minimum requirement of four hours per day. Please call
the office to discuss cost and other arrangements.
Light Home Maintenance
Volunteers are available to help with routine paper work; minor household chores
and simple repairs; shoveling walks; meal preparation; mailing packages; disposing
properly of hazardous waste; organizing “stuff”; and getting rid of clutter.
Medical Advice and Advocacy
CHV presents a series of programs, lectures, and training sessions on such topics
as preparing for medical emergencies, arranging for in-home medical care or visits,
and safeguarding the home so as to prevent falls and other accidents. Several CHV
volunteers can discuss medical conditions with members and thus help to prepare them
for visits to their regular doctors or to the hospital for an operation. At the
member’s request, a volunteer will accompany a member to a medical appointment; ask
questions and take notes; and review pertinent information and instructions with the member.
"Rise and Shine" Program
“Rise and Shine” is designed primarily for CHV members who live alone and want to
receive a daily phone call to inquire whether they are all right. Participating
members are paired with a Capitol Hill neighbor, and the two become “Rise and Shine”
partners. Each day, at a mutually agreeable time, one partner calls the other according
to a predetermined schedule, and they share a brief telephone conversation. If the
scheduled call is not answered, the member making the call notifies the CHV office,
and that sets in motion a series of steps, including a follow-up call. If needed,
a CHV volunteer makes a home visit to determine if further steps are necessary.
Transportation
Volunteer drivers are available to pick up members, take them wherever they wish
go, and return them to their homes. When appropriate, drivers will assist the member
to and from the front door and help carry groceries or packages into the house.
Typical destinations include grocery stores, doctors’ offices, meetings, and social
and educational events on or near Capitol Hill.
