Pal News: September ’23

Read about Be a Pal Week 2023 details, NEW support changes and more.

Be a Pal Week

Be a Pal Week is an opportunity for everyone to come together and create a greater sense of community. It’s also a time for us to celebrate Papa Pals like you, who show us the far-reaching and incredible impact companionship and connection can have.

Here’s a sneak peek at what we have planned:

  • Be a Pal Bingo – Join in on the fun by completing a full row of community-building activities on our new bingo card during Be a Pal Week. Click here and follow the instructions for a chance to win one of 10 $50 Visa gift cards!
  • Pal Palooza: A Papa Webinar on Tuesday, Sept. 26 from 5:00-5:40 pm EST – Join Papa’s leaders as we celebrate top Papa Pals, share some of the changes we’re making to improve your experience, and more! Plan on joining our webinar? Submit a question here and our Papa leaders will choose a few to answer live!

Pal Education Hub

Check out your NEW support experience! We want to ensure that you feel supported throughout your entire Pal journey—whether you have questions before, during, or after a visit, we’re here for you. In our continued goal of improving your Pal experience, we’ve shifted to a new support platform. This shift will now allow you to more easily create tickets, monitor updates on outstanding tickets, and seamlessly access helpful information.

We encourage you to read this guide to learn more.

Care Corner

Your feedback is important! After completing a visit, you'll be prompted in the Papa Pal app to review your visit and share important feedback with Papa. This is the perfect place to include insights about the member and their needs that you believe Papa should know. Things you may want to include in your visit feedback:

  • Health status, including mental health and mood
  • Risks or needs, including any concerns with their living conditions
  • Basic hygiene, including the member having adequate food or clean, appropriate clothing
  • The condition of a member's home
  • Change in a member's behavior or physical appearance
  • Unexplained or uncharacteristic changes in behavior
  • Signs of abuse or neglect in a member's home
  • Unexplained fractures, bruises, welts, sores, or burns 

This step is so important as it helps to ensure Papa is providing the best support to its members.

Learn more about submitting feedback and having a successful visit here.

Q & A

What do I do the day before my visit?

If you haven't called your member yet, you are expected to reach out to introduce yourself. Need an idea of what to say during the phone call? Click here to learn more. Once you know the visit details, you can begin to plan accordingly–think about what to wear during your visit, clean out your vehicle, plan your route, and make sure your phone is charged. 

*Pal Tip: If you can’t reach your member via phone the day before your visit, you are expected to go on your visit anyway–our members depend on you!

Listening to Our Pals

Insights from in-depth Pal interviews

“For some, I’m a confidant, a new family member, or a friend. Something to look forward to each week. Somebody they can count on. That’s huge for members, particularly those who don’t have family members close by.”

Papa Pals have a consistent and attentive presence in members’ lives, while also building trusted relationships over time. As a result, many of you have deep insights into what members truly need. This is why we recently spoke to 16 highly engaged Pals about their experience with members they regularly meet with. 

This diverse group of Pals we spoke to included one Pal who has completed more than 1,000 visits and others who have seen the same member more than 50 and 100 times. The interviews show us what we at Papa already inherently knew—that people need people in order to experience whole health. We need each other. Period.

Read the full story here.