Lavender Seniors is a program of the Oakland LGBTQ Community Center
In 2024, The Friendly Visitor Program was officially relaunched as Rainbow Buddies. The Friendly Visitor Program has been a long-time staple within Lavender Seniors and continues to remain an integral way for the community to Volunteer, stay connected and support our LGBTQIA+ senior community. The Rainbow Buddies Program brings a feeling of community to LGBTQIA+ seniors where they live – in their own homes, retirement communities or assisted living facilities. As a Rainbow Buddies volunteer, you may be the only person with whom the participant can openly share their life as an LGBTQIA+ person.
The Rainbow Buddies Program matches volunteers with LGBTQIA+ elders who are isolated and facing challenges. This includes LGBTQIA+ seniors who feel isolated living in hetero-focused retirement facility or with family who are not LGBTQIA+ friendly. Senior LGBTQIA+ adults often become isolated from family and friends as they age and face considerable challenges as compared to the general population.
Rainbow Buddies strives to build a community whose members and volunteers support one another. Our goal is to alleviate the feelings of loneliness and isolation that many of us experience as we get older. Rainbow Buddies does this by matching trained volunteers with LGBTQIA+ seniors who may be frail, homebound, isolated, or otherwise concerned about aging at home with limited social support. Volunteers serve as hospitality agents providing visits, telephone support and shopping assistance. We encourage our volunteers to create social networks for our seniors. By helping to build networks of support, we better enable LGBTQIA+ seniors to Age with Pride and improve their quality of life.
Useful Links