Of course giving is its own reward. But, Morningside Village volunteers are finding serendipitous riches in their community outreach. In the past months our volunteers have enjoyed visiting with our octogenarian and nonagenarian neighbors: most are extraordinarily interesting, and we like to feel that our elders are cared for.
But, more and more, we are hearing about how our eldest neighbors are nurturing our volunteers. Yesterday, a 92 year old brought out the tissue box for a volunteer that had recently lost her mother, saying, “It’s a good cry! It’s okay. There is nothing like a mother’s love.” And, just today, our Co-Coordinator, Paul, mentioned to a blind elderly 90 year old that he was home nursing a bad cold, which is why he could not visit her. In response, she cooked him up some nutritious soup, found her way to his apartment, and hand-delivered it to his door, just a few buildings down the block…in our vertical village. As for me, volunteering has expanded my sense of “family” to many homes dotting our Morningside Village.
We are now planning a holiday party to celebrate our good fortune!
Irene Zola
Tags: aging in place, eldercare, eldercare village, elderly, geriatric depression, seniors, Volunteers
