It’s grocery day for Ola Malone — a day she looks forward to every week.
“I can’t think of anything else that I need,” Malone said. “But, you know, going to the grocery store, how that is.”
For Ola, Walmart is the place to be. Alone, this would be a tough task for the 83-year-old Dallas resident, but not with Maria Gonzalez by her side — Ola’s 79-year-old senior companion.
“With isolation, loneliness really becoming an epidemic in our older adults,” said Senior Companion Program Director Melissa Gomez. “This really helps both parties combat that isolation and loneliness.”
Senior companions are part of the Senior Source, a Dallas nonprofit helping residents age.
“I always like to work with people,” Gonzalez said.
Ten hours a week, spread over three days, Gonzalez comes to Ola’s home for whatever Ola wants to do.
“Doctor’s appointments, store,” Malone listed out. “We go to Hobby Lobby.”
On grocery day, after the Walmart trip, it’s back home for some TV and gossip time.
Before Malone and Gonzalez were connected, Malone’s daughters had to help her.
“I was homebound,” Malone said. “They would have to take off their job to take me to work and do stuff for me.”
Now, Malone has Gonzalez do stuff for her.
“She and I have really grown together fast,” Gonzalez said. “We’re good friends.”
Aging can be a lonely process, especially if you’re doing it by yourself.
“I suffer from depression because of the job where I used to work,” Malone said. “Anxiety, a lot of anxiety.”
But Gonzalez is not only a built-in helper — she’s also a friend. For Gonzalez, this keeps her going.
“This is for my own good, keeps me healthy,” Gonzalez said. “Move around, have a schedule, get up in the morning.”
As much as Gonzalez may be Malone’s companion, Malone is Gonzalez’ too.
“It is completely a friend component,” Gomez said. “We have volunteers that stay with a client to the end of life. They become part of the family.”
The senior companion does need volunteers — it has a waitlist of seniors who want companions. If you’re 55 and older and can dedicate at least ten hours a week to a client or two, you can sign up at the Senior Source Website. There is a $4 per hour stipend, and you must pass a background check.