Washoe County’s Senior Strategy: Volunteer… So They Don’t Have To Work

Washoe County seems to have cracked the code on “senior engagement.”
Spoiler alert: it’s called volunteerism.

Yep — somewhere in the Human Services Division, someone must have decided that seniors don’t need fun, stimulation, or community. Nope. What they really need is to stuff envelopes, run errands, and “stay active” by doing unpaid labor that conveniently makes the county look good.

Now, we’ve been trying to find the science behind this. Is there a top-secret medical study the county is following?
Does volunteering extend your life?
Prevent disease?
Sharpen the mind?
Or does it just keep the county appear they care about seniors?

Because we’re starting to suspect “volunteerism” is Washoe County’s budget-friendly version of senior programming. Why plan luncheons, day trips, classes, or actual social gatherings when you can tell Grandma to “find purpose” by filing paperwork for free?

Here’s a radical idea — maybe seniors would enjoy a little more living and a little less labor.
A pottery class.
A museum trip.
A cooking demo that doesn’t involve making sandwiches for other volunteers.

But of course, that would require effort — from both the Senior Advisory Board and the Human Services Division — and effort isn’t exactly their strong suit.

So instead, they’ll keep patting themselves on the back for “empowering” seniors, when what they’re really doing is outsourcing the work they don’t want to do.

Maybe next time, instead of “Volunteer Appreciation Day,” the county can host a new event:
“Doing Nothing — But Calling It Service.”

Now that’s something we’d show up for.

Page one of the Washoe County Senior Services Master Plan