Name ten things important to you

[wondrousgnat]

I was recently asked ten things. So I ask you also to try to name 10. They don't have to be in order.
This was mine
1. family
2. church
3. prolife
4. friends
5. clubs
6. reading
7. news watching
8. health
9 Hiking
10. history

Now make your list of ten. You may want to put in biking, going for a drive, playing guitar, vacations, pets, the internet, favorite restaurant, etc.

IMPORTANT: Make out your list before continuing.



Now that you have your ten I will continue...
You think of nursing homes as places for people who are very old. At the DuPage Convalescent Center where I visit many are quite old. One is 106. And some have been there for decades. But not all of them are very old. Some are pretty young. One is 23 and will probably be there for the rest of her life.
Now go to your list of important things and cross out two.
Many are confined to beds and wheel chairs. Some look like rag dolls who were just tosssed there. They need to be strapped in to keep them from falling out. Others are losing their hearing or sight. Some are paralyzed. Others seem to be constantly twitching. Others seem completely healthy until they start talking about last night's game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Boston Braves.
Go back to your list and cross out two more.
People receive checks of $30 a month. That is not enough for cable, cell phones, or the internet. So life is sitting in bed or in the dayroom watching daytime tv (soap operas). And that is what some have to do for decades. And some come from other nations and cannot even speak English.
Cross out two more.
Most are limited to their rooms, the dayroom and maybe a dining area. Many cannot go anywhere unless accompanied by an aide. Maybe they can spend a few minutes in physical therapy. A few can go outside for fresh air. Some residents, including young ones are confined to rooms which they cannot leave by themselves. One 20 something guy cannot have anyone enter his room without first donning protective clothing which has to be discarded before leaving. And they cannot go to the store accross the street or the donut shop down the block. Wheel chairs cannot cross the busy streets.
Much like spending the last years of your life in prison without ever having committed a crime.
Cross out two more important things.
When I filled out my list some seemed silly and not very important. But I resented having to cross them out. What I had left was family and church. But some people never have family visits. And the church schedule was 10 AM mass and 10:30 Protestant service. Since it is the same place mass has to be short andI do not know how they handle the new translation with elderly people and those suffering from Alzheimers. I also don't know how you fit a Protestant service to high church Anglicans, fundamentalists, Pentecostals, Adventists and Jehovah's Witnesses.

Of course many of the volunteers are retirees like myself who are getting out of the house. Some volunteers are in their 90s. There are also housewives who come after dropping their kids at school. And bring them when not in school. And some teenagers volunteers also. One lady has been volunteering there since it opened in 1964.
Volunteers bring communion, lead prayer groups, are entertainers providing music, comedy, magic, etc. There are crafters who go to a crafts room to help with ceramics and needlepoint. I don't know what they do but the Red Hat Ladies come. Probably the most popular event is when a bunch of people bring pets. Almost all of us have had a cat or dog we loved.
If your looking to find something to do with free time think of volunteering.

[Luna Lovecraft]

Originally Posted by wondrousgnat

If your looking to find something to do with free time think of volunteering.

Thank you for this reminder.

[Chorister1980]

What a beautiful thread.

I was recently in a bank and I overheard an elderly gentleman next to me chatting to the cashier.

He was saying to her that his home help came in at 5, and between then and bed time was hard for him as there was no-one to chat to.

It broke my heart to hear it, but I felt I couldn't speak up as I was eavesdropping on his conversation.

I would love to go and chat to elderly folk who needed a friend, and this thread has made me think about it more. Im going to raise this with my PP and see if it is something we can do as a parish.

Thank you.

[Gorillaman]

Family
Truth
Leadership
Laughter
Fearlessness
Awesome food
Peace
Music
A cold beer haha
Companionship

(Right off the top of my head.)

[Gorillaman]

Your so right..iused to take my grandma out to breakfast once a week, just to get her out of her home which was very similar to what your describing ...I'm 22 and there was a man who is only 25 in there...he was in a car wreck when he was 24, now needs help with everything...has a little girl though.

Doing the list of ten puts a lot in perspective...good thread.

Paz