Senior Living – Day One

by Evalina in Society, November 17, 2009

A log of a nursing home volunteer’s experiences. A diary-like account of my days spent in a nursing home hopefully making a difference in the lives of those elders living there.

Dear Diary,

Today was a sad day visiting the nursing home where I volunteer every weekend. I have warmed up to so many of the residents that I feel like they are my family. I know I am only there to make sure they are being taken care of, that they are treated with respect and their rights not violated. Going there for me is not only to make someone smile or to see how they are doing, but to make a difference in the lives of those who have no one to visit them, talk to them or see how they are doing.

Why was it a sad day today? Well, one of the residents I frequently visit passed away and even though she was well into her nineties and bedridden, I still felt a pain in my heart to hear she had died. True she wasn’t related to me and most likely didn’t know I was there when I visited but I knew who she was because her son who was there every day I showed up, shared some of her life stories with me. I thank him for sharing his mother with me and for being such a generous and caring son to his mother.

At first I didn’t feel comfortable sharing my stories with my family or friends but I felt the need to do so in order to make them understand why I volunteered my free time when I had a full time job and a family which includes a young son. It really isn’t all about giving back to the community it’s more of helping those who society fails to acknowledge and/or care for. Seeing the smiles when I walk into a room or when they spot me walking down the halls is worth the ache in my heart and the sadness which accompanies me on my long drive home.