Senior Services
Senior Peer Counseling
Aging is accompanied by many changes, and these changes can lead to stress, confusion, and frustration. Navigating the challenges associated with aging is more manageable with support and a kind listening ear. Wilshire Community Services offers counseling specifically designed for older adults and delivered by older adults. This peer-to-peer approach to counseling offers a level of comfort that can be missed from traditional counseling services. The experience of peer counseling proves positive outcomes for both counselors and clients.
Our volunteer counselors have learned through their own aging experiences and have been trained to skillfully listen. This type of support helps clients know they are not alone, and can increase the emotional strength necessary to age well and maintain a high quality of life.
Rides, Errands and More
When physical limitations prevent driving or maintaining daily tasks, the aging experience can start to feel overwhelming. With the support of kind volunteers, older adults can receive assistance with activities such as transportation, grocery shopping, and pet care. Knowing that these basic human needs will be met contributes to security and a sense of belonging, which leads to an overall healthier aging experience.
Wilshire Community Services strives to bring dignity and respect to the process of aging by providing opportunities for all older adults in our community in the environment of their choice. The services provided by our staff and volunteers lower stress, strengthen community connections, and improve outlook and mood.
Companionship
As we age, we continue to have the same basic and universal human needs: to love and to be loved, to connect with others and stay connected, and to be recognized as a valuable part of the human family. At Wilshire Community Services, we match volunteers with clients to fulfill the unmet needs of the home-bound older adults in San Luis Obispo County by developing mutually caring friendships that enrich the entire community.
At no charge to clients, volunteers make weekly in-home visits that provide reassurance and comfort to homebound older adults remain in their residences longer. During a visit, the pair may chat, play cards or board games, take walks and drives, or go shopping; they live life together! Volunteers come from all age, groups, and walks of life.
Behavioral Health
Behavioral health contributes to overall well-being. Untreated mental health disorders in older adults lead to diminished functioning and poorer quality of life. However, when behavioral health issues are appropriately addressed, symptoms are reduced, and the aging experience is vastly improved.
We are uniquely positioned in the community to provide quality, age-appropriate behavioral health interventions that include therapy, case management, and life-skill building. A skilled team of clinicians and case workers provide knowledgeable and culturally sensitive services to support older adults who experience behavioral health symptoms.
Many aging individuals experience depression and anxiety. While common, these symptoms do not have to be a normal part of aging. Our services bring relief, enabling aging members in our community to live better lives and age with wellness.