In Northeast Tarrant, volunteers help seniors remain independent

Julia Brewer, who turned 90 in February, lives in her own home and is always on the go, but she occasionally needs a ride to her eye doctor appointments.

On a recent day that help came in the person of Janene Ludlow, who volunteers for Mid-Cities Care Corps. Brewer, a client of the agency since 2012, walked down her driveway using a support cane while Ludlow held her arm. The two quickly became friends on the short drive to Brewer’s retina specialist in Grapevine.

“I can’t say enough good things about Care Corps. They are like a second family to me,” Brewer said.

Volunteers the a nonprofit organization, which serves 11 Northeast Tarrant communities, help seniors with transportation to medical appointments, the grocery store or to do their banking, and they also help with simple home repairs.

Ludlow, 62, started volunteering seven years ago and said the experience of helping the elderly get to and from their appointments is rewarding because she is always making friends and learning from their experiences.

“I just love the elderly. They have so much information to share. I love to hear about their families and hearing about their lives,” Ludlow said.

When she drops people off at their appointments, she often has time to take a short walk or do an errand before she brings clients back to their homes.

Duane Buuck, executive director of Mid-Cities Care Corps, said two social workers started the program in 1981 after they realized that people needed transportation to doctor appointments. Last year, volunteers made 799 such trips.

Now the agency offers three programs to help seniors, including transportation to routine medical appointments, quality-of-life trips to the grocery store or to the bank, and a program where elderly residents can go to potlucks or call someone on the phone just to talk.

Church groups and families often help by adopting a senior’s yard to keep it maintained or with painting and other home repairs.

People do not have to meet income guidelines to qualify, but they must be 65 or older or 60 if they have a disability.

Jim Newlon, a financial adviser for Northwestern Mutual, said he heard about the agency at a Rotary Club meeting and began volunteering. That was 29 years ago.

This year, the Northwestern Mutual Foundation awarded a $15,000 grant to help the organization continue with its projects.

“Mid-Cities Care Corps does wonderful things for the community, but it also does wonderful things for me,” Newlon said.

“It’s great satisfaction to me. I grow more than [the clients] do, just doing the drive and talking to them.”

This story was originally published May 16, 2016 at 10:27 AM with the headline "In Northeast Tarrant, volunteers help seniors remain independent."