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Shine volunteers make a difference
By Margie Ware, Regional SHINE Coordinator
If you are looking for a volunteer experience that you can really "sink your teeth into," you may be interested in investigating becoming a SHINE Volunteer! The SHINE (Serving Health Information Needs of Elders) Program trains counselors to provide information, counseling and assistance to people with questions about health insurance-related issues.
SHINE counselors come from a variety of backgrounds. If you have previous experience in healthcare, financial services or counseling, you may find the terminology familiar. But regardless of your previous professional or volunteer experience, the only requirement is the time to learn, the time to serve and a desire to assist elders. The program recently trained three new counselors, bringing our total to 26 and we will conduct another training program this fall beginning on September 19th.
After being trained, volunteers provide counseling in senior centers, elderly housing developments, by phone and in homes. Counselors respond to questions such as, "I’m just about to retire. What kinds of health insurance can I get to supplement Medicare coverage?" "I was just prescribed four different medications, but I can’t afford them! What can I do?" "I’m so confused with all the pieces of paper that the hospital sends me. What do they mean?"
SHINE Counselors attend a 40-hour training program conducted by the Executive Office of Elder Affairs. Following classroom training, they are mentored by a more experienced counselor to give them "real life" exposure to counseling situations. They attend monthly meetings, and are recertified every two years through a written exam. All of these steps have been developed to ensure that, to the fullest extent possible, these volunteers are providing up-to-date information to elders.
At the beginning, new counselors can’t believe they’ll ever be able to understand the range of issues that the SHINE program covers. The intensive training allows volunteers to explain complex information to elders in an understandable fashion. Volunteers address issues relating to Medicare, "Medigap" insurance, public benefits like MassHealth and the Pharmacy Program. Sometimes the only and best answer to a question is "I don’t know, but I’ll research that and get back to you!" Counselors have a variety of colleagues, supervisors and state health insurance officials who can provide assistance in getting the client accurate information.
All SHINE Counselors and Regional Coordinators are bound by strict rules of confidentiality and any information collected must be essential to the purpose at hand. The program is designed to give unbiased information; counselors can only provide options, not make decisions for clients. The program works hard to make sure that particular companies, providers or options are not promoted in relation to something else.
SHINE volunteers provide a unique and important service to our communities. Although the program requires more preparation than other kinds of volunteer activities, the opportunity to learn new information, give valuable assistance and work with other interesting people makes it one of the most worthwhile endeavors around. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about becoming a SHINE volunteer, or if you know an individual who needs assistance from SHINE, please call Margie Ware at 499-0524 or 1 800-957-3557.