FriendshipWorks executive director Kyle Robidoux outlines programs to combat senior isolation in Brookline

FriendshipWorks, a Boston-based nonprofit, connects volunteers with older adults to reduce social isolation, executive director Kyle Robidoux said on the Brookline CAN program.

Robidoux described an organization founded in 1984 that quickly expanded from Boston into nearby Brookline and now serves five municipalities: Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville and Newton. He said FriendshipWorks has about 17 staff (roughly 14 full-time equivalents), with an administrative and fundraising team and an eight- to nine-person program team that oversees five program areas.

At the heart of FriendshipWorks is the friendly visiting program, Robidoux said, a one-to-one volunteer match in which coordinators recruit, screen and pair volunteers with older adults for weekly in-person visits. Other programs include MusicWorks, Pet Pals and community- or building-based activities that operate regularly in housing sites and senior buildings.

"We work with almost 200 older adults who reside in Brookline through all five of our programs," Robidoux said, noting partnerships with local organizations including the Brookline Council on Aging, the senior center, Hebrew SeniorLife and the Brookline Community Fund. He said MusicWorks currently operates in three Brookline Housing Authority buildings managed by Hebrew SeniorLife and that the program intentionally pays professional musicians rather than asking them to volunteer.

Robidoux gave organization-scale figures: FriendshipWorks serves about 1,800 older adults a year across its catchment and works with roughly 600 volunteers, and he said about 60 to 70 percent of volunteers come through VolunteerMatch (now merged with Indeed). He described ongoing outreach at community events, food pantries and public markets as key recruitment channels and said the group also partners with corporations for volunteer recruitment.

Volunteers who enter homes go through reference checks ("two or three"), criminal offender record checks (CORI) and SORI screenings, an initial home intake visit, an interview and mandatory training sessions (about 90 minutes) that cover boundaries, engagement and expectations, Robidoux said.

Robidoux said FriendshipWorks is working to expand language capacity and hires diversely when possible; it also brings interpreters or outside consultants when needed to match volunteers with older adults who speak other languages.

The organization fields both in-person and some phone-based volunteering and encourages one-year commitments for volunteer matches to foster stable relationships, Robidoux added.

Robidoux invited listeners to consider volunteering and noted a continuing presence in Brookline and a need for volunteers in South Brookline. For older adults or family members seeking services, he cited FriendshipWorks' phone number on-air as (617) 482-1510 and recited a website string as provided in the transcript ("fw,thenumberfour,elders.org").