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              2013-2014 Senior Corps Study: Foster Grandparents and Senior Companions
      Back
                This study was a census of Senior Companion Program (SCP) and Foster Grandparent Program (FGP) volunteers (both Senior Corps programs) to see:

Whether SCP and FGP were successfully recruiting and retaining diverse, low-income volunteers as they are intended to;
	How the two programs compare to each other in this regard;
	How SCP and FGP volunteers compare to respondents to the national Health and Retirement Survey (HRS) in terms of self-reported health, mobility-associated disability, and life satisfaction.The study found that:

Across both programs, respondents were 55–104 years of age, with a mean age of 72 years.
	Across both programs, respondents were 45% white, 40% African American, 2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3% Asian American, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander, and 6% other or more than one race selected.
	Approximately 90% of Foster Grandparents and 83% of Senior Companions were women.
	Approximately 41% of Foster Grandparents were African American compared with 38% of Senior Companions.
	Approximately 21% of Foster Grandparents did not graduate from high school or did not have a GED compared with 26% of Senior Companions.
	Foster Grandparents reported an average of 6.4 years in service compared with 6.1 years for Senior Companions.In short, the Foster Grandparent Program and the Senior Companion Program engage a diverse population of low-income adults age 55 and older in high-intensity volunteer activity. Men were underrepresented in both FGP and SCP. Compared to HRS respondents who volunteer, the study found that SCP and FGP volunteers showed:

No statistical difference in the prevalence of excellent/very good health.
	Higher prevalence of problems walking or inability to walk one-block.
	Statistically significant higher prevalence of reported life satisfaction.

      Full report
      

      Full Report
            FR-SC-Foster-Grand-Parents.pdf
        Further information
    



      Program/Intervention
                        Senior Companion Program; Foster Grandparent Program
  

      Implementing Organization
                        Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)
  

      AmeriCorps Program(s)
            AmeriCorps Seniors
  

      Age(s) Studied
            55+ (Older adult)
  

      Outcome Category
            Aging in place
                  Benefit to national service members/volunteers
  

      Study Type(s)
            Case Study or Descriptive
                  Outcomes
  

      Researcher/Evaluator
                        Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS)
  

      Published Year
                        2016 Back to main content Sign up to hear about our latest news, events, and opportunities.
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