Our Volunteers

Elders in Action is powered by the wisdom and talent of our volunteers. People of all backgrounds and experience share their unique skills to improve the lives of others. Enjoy some of their stories on the "Our Volunteers" page.

Personal Advocate and Woodstock resident Ann Crowder tackles a variety of thorny problems with Elders in Action.

Ann Crowder

Woodstock Resident Helps Older Adults Solve Knotty Problems

By Elizabeth Ussher Groff For the Sellwood BEE December 2009

Problems with health care, housing, crime and abuse can plague older adults. Scams, fraud or just the mundane complexities of everyday modern life can seem overwhelming.

Ann Crowder, a Woodstock resident and a recent retiree after working for twenty-two years with the IRS, has been volunteering as a personal advocate with the nonprofit organization Elders In Action.

"We help people who don't know where to turn," Crowder says of the clients that contact Elders In Action. "They are at their wits end and don't have the necessary information or resources."

To prepare to be a volunteer personal advocate, Crowder took a background check, was interviewed by Elders In Action office staff, and spent one day in training. She says that as a volunteer she draws on her own knowledge, uses her research skills, and has the advantage of an objective perspective.

After making phone calls, meeting with the client and researching a problem, Crowder will often accompany the client to an agency involved to help get the problem resolved.

"I went with a client to the Oregon Department of Revenue and we met with an auditor. They resolved her state income tax issue and she was so grateful that she now volunteers one day a week at the Elders In Action office," reports Crowder.
"Sometimes an issue is resolved easily, but other times there are two or three underlying issues," says Crowder.

After an older adult calls them, Elders In Action provides a list of resources for that client. Beyond that, Crowder uses her ability to be a good listener and to research information by telephone and computer.

In her eight months as a personal advocate, the case that Crowder says was most satisfying was a complex medical insurance problem with an 85 year-old woman in outer Southeast Portland.

"The woman's policy was Medicare Advantage as a supplement, but then an insurance salesman sold her a Medigap policy on top of that. She was paying Medigap premiums but getting no benefit from it because she already had a Medicare supplement."
The case involved several attempts to terminate the Medigap policy and wading through some procedural complications. The next step will be for Crowder and the client to meet with a SHIBA (Senior Health Insurance Benefits Advisors) representative to get information and reassess insurance options for the woman. Asked about who trains to be a personal advocate, Crowder replies, "I have met a retired nun, an ex-bail bondsman, a retired accountant and an attorney. But you don't have to be career-oriented. It's just everyday people who have an interest in tackling issues and helping elders."

Each year the personal advocate are required to take four of the eleven continuing education "refresher" courses that are offered on a variety of issues related to challenges faced by older adults - slipping and falling, independent living options, current scams.

"I have learned so much about various issues with aging that I may be able to apply to myself someday," Crowder says with a wry smile. "Elders In Action serves three counties and does a tremendous amount of good work with a small staff and volunteers. Other places in the U.S. have replicated parts of their program."

To learn more about Elders In Action's personal advocate program call (503) 235-5474.

Volunteers Patrick, Raissa, and Lorraine are all enjoying their time at Elders in Action's 2009 Volunteer Appreciation Brunch.

Other Volunteers' Stories