Project Dana Hawaii: Volunteer Caregiving Support for Aging Parents

Your parent needs help seven days a week, but paid home care runs thousands of dollars a month in Hawaii. Project Dana provides a volunteer layer of non-medical support — companionship, light errands, and caregiver support — while families arrange the level of care they need.

What Project Dana Actually Provides

Project Dana is a faith-based volunteer caregiving program based in Honolulu that recruits volunteers across Hawaii, founded on the Buddhist principle of dana (selfless giving). Unlike paid agencies, its volunteers provide non-medical support rather than licensed clinical care, helping kupuna stay connected to their communities.

Services include:

• Friendly visits and companionship — visits for kupuna who need connection
• Transportation to medical appointments, grocery stores, and social activities
• Light chore assistance — light housekeeping and simple household tasks
• Caregiver support — support groups, counseling, and training through Caring for the Caregiver
• Telephone reassurance — telephone visits and check-ins to reduce isolation

Project Dana's services are non-medical and assist with instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), companionship, and caregiver support. They can reduce isolation, but they do not provide full-time supervision or a dementia-care safety plan.

Who Qualifies for Project Dana Services

Project Dana's Caring for the Caregiver program serves family caregivers who are actively caring for someone age 60 or older who still lives at home. Its listed caregiver services include support groups, counseling, and training; public presentations are open to everyone.

• Family caregivers caring for someone age 60 or older who still lives at home
• Kupuna who need non-medical help with instrumental activities of daily living
• Caregivers seeking support groups, counseling, or training
• Members of the public interested in caregiving and aging presentations

Contact Project Dana at 808-945-3736 or [email protected] to ask about current services and eligibility.

How Project Dana Fits With Other Hawaii Programs

Project Dana addresses social isolation through volunteer visits and caregiver support. It can complement Med-QUEST and Kupuna Care, but it does not replace their covered or funded care services. Here is how the programs compare:

For families managing a parent with dementia, a practical combination may be Med-QUEST or Kupuna Care for authorized personal care where eligible, and Project Dana for non-medical companionship and errands.

Limitations Families Should Know

Project Dana volunteers provide non-medical support and are not a substitute for dementia-specialist or clinical care. They cannot:

• Administer medications or provide medical care
• Manage aggressive behaviors or sundowning episodes
• Provide overnight supervision
• Guarantee specific schedules (volunteer availability varies)

If your parent requires nursing-level care or exhibits wandering behavior that demands constant supervision, Project Dana alone is insufficient. It works best as one layer in a multi-resource plan — supplementing professional care, not replacing it.

Getting Started With Project Dana

Contact Project Dana at 808-945-3736 or [email protected] to ask about current services and volunteer availability.

As you coordinate services, the Hawaii Dementia & Memory Care Guide walks you through every program available to your family — from Med-QUEST eligibility and spend-down planning to facility vetting checklists and legal authority documents — so you can build a complete support plan rather than relying on any single resource.

See more Hawaii guides →