[Volunteer Manual] The New York State Friendly Calls Program

The New York State Friendly Calls Program was developed with funding from the Building Resilient Inclusive Communities project. This national initiative seeks to establish sustainable programming within existing state-level efforts to promote healthy living and reduce social isolation. As part of this project, the New York State Office for the Aging partnered with the New York State Department of Health, AgingNY, DOROT and BrainMatters, Inc., to design and produce a Friendly Calls training package intended to facilitate social connectedness among individuals who may be experiencing isolation due to the COVID-19 pandemic or for other long-standing reasons. This training provides necessary tools that enable local Area Agencies on Aging and NY Connects No Wrong Door providers to implement Friendly Calls Programs in their localities.

Topics covered in this manual include:

• Friendly Calls Volunteer Job Description
• Program Guidelines
• Sample Script and Conversation Starters
• Building a relationship through engaging phone conversations
• Establishing and Maintaining Boundaries