#SeniorToSenior
Senior Animals for Senior People Project Proposal:
This is a program where we will be Matching Senior Cats and Dogs with Older Adults. Matching senior people with senior animals provides benefits to both the individual and companion animal!
Here is how the Senior to Senior “retiring together” program would work:
- The senior answers some questions about their animal preference & their lifestyle.
- The application is submitted.
- This one application is reviewed by many local animal rescues.
- The senior is contacted with possible matches from which to choose.
- Volunteers keep working until the perfect “love match” is achieved.
Happiness all around! The senior & the senior companion animal are both happy! The animal shelter is thrilled to find a senior animal a loving home!
If the senior is on a very fixed income and this has previously prevented them from having a companion animal or made they reluctant to adopt a senior animal, there is a part on the application where seniors can apply for continued pet food assistance & support with vet care.
Senior to Senior Project Details:
Studies have shown that seniors living with a companion animal are healthier, more social and less lonely. They suffer less depression and are emotionally happier due to the joy their animals bring them. They are also more physically healthy because seniors get more exercise while interacting with their animals.
It has also been shown that seniors living with a companion animal require less pain medication to manage physical ailments. Petting their companion animal causes endorphins, the body’s natural “feel good” chemicals, to be released. Also, older animals do not mind living with a human who moves slower and has physical limitations because the animals have slowed down as well. Animals can help people whose eyes and ears are failing by alerting them when someone is at the door thereby making the senior more comfortable living alone. Even the bark of a small dog can scare intruders away thus making the senior feel less vulnerable and more able to live safely on their own.
Navigating one’s way through the computer listings of adoptable rescue animals is very confusing. In addition, it is often difficult for someone to find the correct animal match for one’s household and lifestyle. Often, a puppy, kitten, or high energy breed animal is adopted but quickly becomes unwanted when it becomes apparent that there is a mismatch between the animal and the household. Many animals end up abandoned in animals shelters as a result with often disastrous results for the animal.
This program makes finding the best companion animal match easy! The Senior to Senior program offers volunteer assistance in finding the best companion animal match for the senior’s home & lifestyle. Best of all, there is only one form to fill out that gets sent out to all participating animal rescues! Seniors simply fill out one form describing the desired size, breed, personality & energy level of the animal that would be a good match for them along with information about the lifestyle and activities that the animal would be fitting into.
Animal rescues search through the animals in their care for possible matches. The senior is contacted with possible matches they can meet to find the best “love match” for them and their lifestyle. The great news is that Senior Animals often come into the senior’s home already trained and much calmer in their activity level. A perfect match for both! An animal’s life is saved!
The Senior to Senior program offers further help to seniors who, up until now have thought they could not afford the cost of a companion animal. Seniors on a very tight budget can apply for continued support with pet food and continued assistance with veterinary care for the animal. Many animals are abandoned in overwhelmed animal shelters when people think they do not have the money to care for them. Sometimes people are worried about adopting a senior animal because of concern about higher vet bills. The Senior to Senior program solves that problem.
By offering assistance with pet food and medical care for the senior companion animal, the support this program provides will also increase the number of animals who will be able to remain in their homes even if the senior’s financial situation changes later.
Animal rescues also benefit! Shelter space is freed up in the animal rescues since senior animals often take much longer to place. Often, several younger animals could have been adopted out in the same amount of time it takes to adopt out just one senior animal. The Senior to Senior program speeds up the matching process. Everyone wins! The senior human wins. The senior animal wins. The animal rescue organization wins because space is freed up to save even more animals!
The Senior to Senior program will also reduce euthanasia of perfectly lovely, older companion animals by quickly removing them from overwhelmed shelters and placing them into loving homes. This gives senior animals, which are often slow to be adopted, a faster way out from the stressful and noisy shelter atmosphere. They will be placed into a quieter environment with a loving senior.
***************************************************************************************************************************
What You can do to Help on this Project. How our Community can Support this Project.
***************************************************************************************************************************
Our Project Step by Step…
We need your help with each of the following steps. Please contact us if you have any tips, information, resources or connections to anyone you know who may be able to help.
- ADMINISTRATION:
Step #1–Contact lawyer for legal advice on setting up program; Contact accountant for bookkeeping; Contact lawyer to draft agreement for adopters.
Step #2–Apply for permits needed for warehouse, shelter and animal handling.
Step #3–Design website.
Step #4–Develop operating budget. Contact realtor to find location for program.
Step #5–Develop needs for volunteers. Develop veterinarian program for adopters to use.
Step #6–Apply for participating grants.
Step #7–Set up electronic filing system for each animal/human pairing.Design applications for program, major medical. Design reminder program for adopters (Example: wellness checks).
Step #8–Hire a bookkeeper. Hire an administrator to run the program as well as the warehouse and shelter space.
- MARKETING:
Step #9–Develop marketing plan for rescues and shelters. Develop marketing plan for public awareness. Contact senior neighborhoods such as Sun Lakes and Sun City. Contact and partner with the Area Agency on Aging, senior centers, Veteran’s Administration, etc.
Step #10–Submit requests to corporations such as Intel for funding. Contact Petsmart, Petco, and Pet Club for enabling monies. Find veterinarians who would do spay, neuters, and initial animal wellness exams on continuing basis.
- PURCHASING:
Step #11–Contact MARS & PURINA for participation in selling dog/cat food in bulk for program; develop purchasing program.
- BUILDING:
Step #12–Secure 1,500 SF building to house dogs/cats that cannot be housed in rescues. Design space for warehouse/holding area. Contact general contractor for warehouse build-out and determine material handling equipment, if any.
Other Ways You Can Help Make this Project a Success…
We Need Your Help! We Need the Help of our Community
Supplies or Material Resources Needed
Donated food & supplies such as beds, collars, leashes, litter
People Resources Needed–Team Members, Interns, Volunteers, Staff
*****Lawyer to set program up correctly as part of a rescue or entity in itself
*****CPA to set up the books and reporting requirements.
*****Supply Chain Intern
*****Marketing Intern
*****General contractor to oversee and schedule construction of necessary changes within a building
***************************************************************************************************************************
What You can do to Help on this Project. How our Community can Support this Project.
***************************************************************************************************************************
We need your help on this project! Help us to find the most useful tips, advice, information, books, blogs, websites, scientific research, resources and organizations that can help us to successfully complete this Senior to Senior Project.
You can help this project by posting any helpful tips, advice, information & resources in the comments section below. Your community needs your help!
Please forward this project post to friends, family & colleagues who may be interested in contributing information to this project and helping their community! The social media buttons on this page make sharing this project easy.
***************************************************************************************************************************
Who will be Helped and/or What Problem will be Solved by this Senior to Senior Program?
This project resolves a number of issues that older people often face:
The first issue is that older people often want to adopt puppies and kittens. Rescues and shelters are reluctant to adopt younger companion animals where the animal is going to outlive its owner. The activity level of a young animal may be overwhelming when the activity level, training level and calmness of a senior animal may be a better match. Older animals are also easier for older people to care for.
The second issue is that it is often confusing, frustrating and overwhelming to try to adopt a rescued animal. Most of the searching is done online and adoption forms may also need to be done by computer. The Senior to Senior program has volunteers that will help seniors through each step, even helping to do the computer work that may be needed.
The third issue is that many seniors are currently living without the joy of a companion animal because they do not want to make a commitment to an animal when they do not know how long they will be around to care for them. Therefore, they go without the love, companionship and joy that a companion animal could bring them. By adopting an older companion animal, this is less likely to happen. With participation in this program, arrangements can be made to help the animal if they do outlive their person.
This program would allow for senior people to have access to an animal, promoting health benefits to the person while matching an older, hard to place animal with a loving senior. It is a win-win!
The fourth issue is that seniors may not have the funds to pay for the medical care of a companion animal due to the higher health costs for senior animals. If the yearly income of the individual is 150% or lower of the national poverty level, food, supplies, and continued medical care for the companion animal will be provided. The Senior to Senior program also takes care of the animal if the older person is no longer able to care for the senior animal.
The fifth issue is that older animals are often the first to be “put down” or “euthanized”. This means that seniors are often not even aware that these sweet animals are available for them to adopt. The Senior to Senior program will give senior companion animals a pathway into a new loving home with their very own senior person.
Why is this Senior to Senior Program important? What good result will be accomplished with the Help of the Community?
Problem #1:–Senior companion animals often take a long time to adopt out. This takes up shelter space from many animals that would have been easy to place. Senior animals are often chosen to be euthanized in shelters due to pet overpopulation and overcrowding at the shelters.
Problem #2:–Seniors are often wary of making a commitment to a companion animal due to worries about their own health or capacity to care for an animal long term. They are also unsure about finding an animal that would be a good match for their home and for their energy level.
Problem #3:–Senior adults are living on a fixed income. They may not have the funds necessary to pay for food, supplies and medical care for their companion animal.
The Senior to Senior Program solves all of these problems while bringing both the older adult and the senior animal a lot of joy and companionship.
***************************************************************************************************************************
Financial Budget for our Project
Senior for Senior Program Maximum Exposure
CAT* DOG* TOTAL PROGRAM
ANIMAL WELFARE COST
per/animal # Served Total CAT per/animal (Blended)# Served Total DOG AMOUNT % OF TOTAL
FOOD $ 125 125 $ 15,625 $ 145 125 $ 18,125 $ 34,020 12.8%
LITTER $ 165 125 $ 20,625 $ – 125 $ – $ 20,750 7.8%
INITIAL MEDICAL $ 130 125 $ 16,250 $ 70 125 $ 8,750 $ 25,195 9.5%
RECURRING MEDICAL $ 160 125 $ 20,000 $ 235 125 $ 29,375 $ 49,735 18.8%
Major Medical $1,000 25 $ 25,000 $ 1,000 25 $ 25,000 $ 51,025 19.3%
Animal Welfare Total $1,580 $ 97,500 $ 1,450 $ 81,250 $ 180,725 68.2%
NON-ANIMAL COST
FULL TIME COMPENSATION $ 35,000 13.2%
BENEFITS/TAXES COST $ 10,500 4.0%
VOLUNTEER ASSOCIATED COSTS $ 1,500 0.6%
Non-Animal Total $ 47,000 17.7%
Total Animal Cost $ 227,725 85.9%
ADMINISTRATION COST
INSURANCE/LIABILITY $ 600 0.2%
PAYROLL FEES $ 600 0.2%
COMPUTER EQUIPMENT $ 500 0.2%
SOFTWARE $ 500 0.2%
INTERNET FEES $ 700 0.3%
PHONE $ 700 0.3%
LEASE $ 13,500 5.1%
UTILITIES $ 3,000 1.1%
OFFICE EQUIPMENT $ 700 0.3%
OFFICE SUPPLIES $ 1,500 0.6%
PRINTING $ 500 0.2%
POSTAGE $ 500 0.2%
WEB SITE $ 500 0.2%
MARKETING $ 5,000 1.9%
PUBLIC RELATIONS/AWARENESS $1,500 0.6%
FUNDRAISING COSTS $ 7,000 2.6%
Administration Total $ 37,300 14.1%
GRAND TOTAL – PROGRAM $ 265,025 100.0%
*Based on ASPCA animal costs
***************************************************************************************************************************
Who Primarily Benefits from your Project?
***Animals
***Seniors
***All cities in Maricopa County
***Maricopa County Animal Care & Control Shelter (MCACC)
***Humane Society
***All rescue and shelter groups since they all will be invited to participate in the project.
Finished Project Objectives:
***Reduction in the number of animals euthanized.
***Reduction of older animals entering or staying too long in shelters.
***Increase in the number of older people living with and enjoying companion animals.
Target Date for Completion of the Project
October 2015
Our Next Steps
*****Contact Purina, MARS, and Southwest Pet Foods to see if they would sell or donate food for program.
*****Contact PetSmart, Petco, Pet Club for assistance with sponsorship or supplies.
*****Contact Banfield Pet Hospitals for help with wellness checks
This will be the 1st phase of 4 phases.
Phase 2 – Companion Animal Assistance Program
Phase 3 – Rescue/Shelter Support Center
Phase 4 – Reduced cost food for Shelters, Rescues, and feeders
***************************************************************************************************************************
————————————–This is a Community Project————————————————- Join with others in creating this Community Project (CP) that Solves a Social or Environmental problem. Community Projects Build or Create something that is Beneficial to our Community. This is a Community Project that requests your help in providing the information, materials, expertise, resources or donation money needed to make this Community Project a Success. With your help we can have a positive impact on our world. Just think how great it will feel to know that you were a co-creator of this Community Project that fills a social or environmental need. You can say to yourself, “I helped to Create that!”
***************************************************************************************************************************
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ Donations Requested $$$$$$$$$$$$$
Will you help us to make this project a reality? Please Click the Donation Button Below to go to our Donation Page. 100% of your Donations are tax deductible and go directly to fund the project. Thank You for your Help!
***************************************************************************************************************************
We need your help on this project! Help us to find the most useful tips, advice, information, books, blogs, websites, scientific research, resources and organizations that can help us to successfully complete this Senior to Senior Project.
You can help this project by posting any helpful tips, advice, information & resources in the comments section below. Your community needs your help!
Please forward this project post to friends, family & colleagues who may be interested in contributing information to this project and helping their community! The social media buttons on this page make sharing this project easy.
***************************************************************************************************************************
Cash Donations Needed to Make this Project a Success:
We estimate that we will need to raise $ 265,025 to complete the entire project.
If we are able to get the needed services and items donated, we may be able to successfully complete this project at a reduced cost.
Please Help us Raise the Funds needed to complete this Senior to Senior Project! Join our Crowdfunding Campaign!
*********Click to Donate and Help this project*********
***************************************************************************************************************************
Donate Today!Help this Project become a Success! Sponsor OrganizationLearn More about this Project's Sponsor
***************************************************************************************************************************
This Project was proposed by and is sponsored by:
Rescuing Animals In Need (RAIN) Please click the link to view more details about this 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. You may also contact them directly at this link if you would like to communicate with them privately & confidentially. Otherwise, you may contact them and share information with them via the comments section below.
***************************************************************************************************************************
By contributing your time, talent and information to this project, you will be making it easier for this Senior to Senior Project to connect with the Resources & Organizations that can help them to successfully complete this project! Please contact this project with any helpful tips, advice, information, resources or connections via the comments section below.
Thank you for your help on this project! Thank you for Making a Difference in Your Community!
Follow the progress on this and any other Community Project that Interests You–see details. For individuals and organizations interested in continuing to participate in the conversation about this project, you may choose to follow the progress of this project by subscribing below. You will receive a free email notification when new information and updates are added regarding this specific project.
This is a FREE service. It is free to follow any project that interests you. This makes it possible for you to participate in an online “barn raising” and brainstorming of ideas. To follow a project that interests you, simply subscribe at the bottom of this project post. You can be part of the action and contribute important information that leads to this project’s success!
Thank you for sharing your experience, expertise, information, advice and ideas on this project!