text: I am a gerontologist by training and work experience (in a Catholic Charities agency) and I agree....
  
  We trained literally thousands of parish volunteers and set up programs parish by parish to address your very concerns.....this was well over 30 years ago....closer to 40 and it was a very good idea....one that should be "resurrected" today....
  
  Staffing in parishes was not so tight....we found donations to pay a retired sister to coordinate the volunteers for the first year if the parish would match the salary/stipend the second year....in parishes with high numbers of facilities for the elderly....we had friendly visitors visiting weekly and it didn't matter what the residents faith was....although for Catholics we trained a whole bunch of lay ministers...
  
  We trained other volunteers in the whole range of public benefit and entitlement programs and available aging services (medical, transportation, et al).....
  
  AND we taught our whole approach in summer school.....