History

 

When COVID-19 struck in March 2020, Nevadans were given the ‘stay-at-home’ order. While much was unknown, a group of aging services professionals were certain of one thing: we must protect Nevadans from the threat of social isolation. And so, the NEST Collaborative was born – a volunteer-driven effort aimed at reducing social isolation and loneliness among elders, veterans, and people living with disabilities. Since its inception, the NEST Collaborative has served 350 Nevadans, totaling 4,000 hours of volunteer service! We truly appreciate all the time and care you have put into making our communities stronger and more connected. Thank you making a difference in the lives of people you serve.

 

As the NEST Collaborative Support Team looks toward the future, we have some exciting news to share. The NEST Collaborative recently received a grant to help organizations across Nevada adopt and implement their own NEST programs. Moving forward, the NEST Collaborative will act as a technical assistance and training center for other organizations who wish to adopt our programs. By equipping other organizations to provide their own virtual social support and technology assistance programs, we hope to connect even more Nevadans with the resources they need to live well and thrive.

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NEST Program Aims

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• Provide social support in a time when many are experiencing loneliness and social isolation

• Provide a virtual volunteer opportunity for Participants and Volunteers to connect

• Celebrate the Power of reciprocal relationships

• Clarify that Volunteers provide informal social support rather than case management

• Support Volunteers throughout the entirety of their service

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Three ways NEST can help:

 

NEST Calls

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• Participants receive a friendly call up to twice a week from a NEST Calls Volunteer

• Participants and Volunteers experience a reciprocal relationship by chatting about: 

  • What they are doing

  • Discuss favorite hobbies

  • Share life stories

  • Connect Participants to local resources

    • Volunteers provide an informal social support role and are supported through everything

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NEST Groups

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• Participants gather in a small group via videoconference to develop a network of mutual support

• The groups are hosted by a NEST Group Volunteer, who helps facilitate while still maintaining an unstructured format

  • Meet once a week online 

  • Mingle with a group of 6 - 8 people 

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NEST Tech

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• If Participants are looking for help with technology, they can connect with a NEST Tech Volunteer for one-to-one telephone-based, capacity-building, support in using technology 

  • Zoom 

  • Email 

  • Social Media 

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See our other programs.

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