West Virginia ElderWatch's Trained Volunteers Help Consumers
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2006-02-27 16:13:10
West Virginia ElderWatch has trained more than 30 interested Consumer Advocate Volunteers to assist older West Virginians with consumer complaints. In the first eight days the program was available, the volunteers fielded 127 complaints.
The volunteers, who staff the telephones in four-hour shifts, have worked more than 150 hours in the first days of the program. The volunteers learn the roles and responsibilities of volunteers, interview techniques and protocol.
Working with the staff of the West Virginia Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division, the volunteers use role play techniques to learn how to deal with a variety of consumer situations.
West Virginia ElderWatch is administered by the AARP Foundation, with funding provided by a grant from the West Virginia Attorney General.
West Virginia ElderWatch started fielding consumer calls on February 1, when the state Attorney General's Office started transferring calls from consumers age 60+ to the program. Volunteers compile the callers' information and complete a complaint form. The complaint is mailed to the consumer for their signature and is returned to the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division for mediation.
Through leadership, communication, and working relationships, West Virginia ElderWatch is dedicated to providing protection for West Virginia's older consumers against economic losses resulting from unethical or illegal business practices; to provide assistance for the resolution of consumer-based disputes; and to provide timely, accurate, and responsive consumer education to enhance consumer choice.
ElderWatch will hold an open house and media event on March 8 to introduce the program to the public.
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