Take
- One group of young adults who love or loved their grandparents;
- One group of compassionate middle-agers;
- An even larger, older group who watched their parents suffer because of insufficient end-life care;
and you have a large part of our Morningside Village volunteer base.
For seasoning, add
- The retired woman who wants to continue to practice social work;
- The eighty year-old, who’d always known that well people ought to help the others; and
- Don’t forget the unemployed college graduate whose thinking of a career in eldercare.
But, don’t turn on the oven yet. The next part of this creation is probably the most adventuresome: obtaining the final ingredients:
- The rare infirmed elders who openly ask for help (in a culture where elderhood bears a stigma);
- The homebound elder who isn’t used to neighbors visiting or calling;
- Those elders who can’t speak for themselves;
- Those infirmed elders who swear that they can take good care of themselves without help (for fear of a nursing home); and
- Those lonely elders who are feeling depressed.
We find that once altogether in the same pot, the magical combinations begin to happen:
- The orphaned 65-year old finds a home-bound person who reminds her of a lost parent.
- The twenty-year old meets a nonagenarian with lots of good advice.
- The middle-aged nurse can help train other volunteers about using a wheelchair.
- One of the volunteers, who’d made friends with the others already, will soon be home from hospital recovering from surgery.
- A volunteer husband and wife are called on by an aging couple who make excellent dinner companions.
- And more.
When the stew is ready, you will know. Bon appetit!
Currently, the volunteers at Morningside Village are creating outreach to our eldest neighbors. This weekend, several volunteers tabled on Broadway and 111th Street for a few hours, with two different flyers: one addressed to community members who may know of elders in need and the other addressed to infirmed elders, with contact information.
We are learning that one superintendent can introduce us to the super in the building next door. And, through a building by building quest, we can find the names of those in need and begin devising methods of making friends with them, on a case-by-case basis.
We are also working in partnership with a large real estate owner, who will distribute outright Morningside Village invitations to elder tenants. And, then, of course there are our meetings and word of mouth (most important) where we can learn of older community members who need some attention.
We want to grow organically, so that we have the right amount of volunteers to respond to the number of requests we have from elders for assistance. With a sufficient cadre of ready volunteers, some already in action, we are moving right along.
Irene Zola
Tags: aging in place, community organizing, eldercare, eldercare village, elderly, recipe for success, seniors, Volunteers
