When I speak to people who have adult offspring and grandchildren and even great-grandchildren, the oldest ones often mention how busy their families are. “How can they get to New York to see me when they have jobs and friends to keep up with?” “How can they come uptown when they have classes to take and theatre to see?” “How can they invite me to supper when they have such a small apartment?” And, “Oh how busy they are!” In fact, the word busy seems to ricochet from one wall to another in many a home where an infirmed nonagenarian may spend much of her or his time. But is it any better in the typical nursing home? Studies show that families are just as apt to be too busy to visit often and that commonly prescribed psychotropic medications can keep residents from socializing, even though they are living in close proximity. For these reasons, of course, nearly 70 Morningside Village residents have made it a point to become busy helping our oldest neighbors to connect to the community and to find friends amongst us. We do this in addition to our jobs, our classes, the films we see, our creative projects and the trips we take. What we’ve learned is that there are all kinds of busy!
Irene Zola
