I have a really interesting thing happening in my life today but it is a volunteer thing so I kind of feel that if I blog about it, I'm tooting my own horn. And I'm not really allowed to "Horn Toot" anymore because it feeds my insatiable EGO and I then start to run amok. (I love that word: amok, not sure why but perhaps because it feels like it sounds...?).
I will write about this thing today because in all honesty it is something I feel strongly about and perhaps if I post on it others might share my interest and concern....
I am going with my pastor and friend Shayne to a local nursing home. He is going to introduce me to the staff there and vouch for me I guess as a volunteer. Some time ago my dad was recovering from a critical illness in another local nursing home and when I visited him I couldn't help but notice that quite a few residents NEVER got visitors. So I went back to the town where I lived (Holland, MI) and volunteered to meet w/residents who got no visitors. I basically ended up reading to several who could no longer see well enough to read. It was a wonderful experience. I'm basically trying to start the same thing here.
I naturally enjoy senior citizens..I don't know if part of that has to do with my interest in history, appreciating the past or just BECAUSE...probably a little of both.
But we have tried for about 2 months to get this started and the timing wasn't working but since I'm meeting with them in just 3 hrs or so, I think it may actually go down as planned this time without getting cancelled!
I suppose I am a little nervous but more excited then anything else...a good friend of mine just lost his mother early Wednesday morning and I had visited them a few hours before in another nursing home so I found that fact rather ironic but prophetic as well. There is a real need in nursing homes in this country for volunteers and visitors. The residents there are lonely and need so love and attention...
I'm not a big fan of the notion of putting our elders in nursing homes in the first place. If there are serious medical reasons and full time care is required then I can see it but often in our society we just dump our old relatives off there and forget about them. I think that borders on being criminal from an ethical and moral perspective.
I know, you think I'm throwing stones and don't understand what it takes to care for the aged....I actually do know. I've been living here and caring for and helping my parents for nearly 4 years now. And it is one of the most rewarding things that I have ever done in my entire life and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity. I do understand that it isn't practical for most people to do this. My children are grown, I'm divorced so I had the flexibility to make this work but still, I think we can ALWAYS do a better job at it then we are. We need to keep trying to care for them ourselves as much as possible. If a nursing home IS the only practical solution, find the time to visit, regularly.
I would at least like to get folks thinking about it today...if nothing else maybe we can accomplish that. Create some awareness and communicate the need. If you doubt there is a need, then you haven't been inside a nursing home (if ever) recently. So that's what I'm asking today. Think about our elderly citizens, not just our grand parents and parents but anyone. can we do something different? I bet we can if we try....
