Circle of Life

As you all may or may not know I have been volunteering at Sunrise Retirement Home. I have been assisting the employees in providing a routine schedule full of activities for the elderly who reside in the home. Working around my "banker hours", I have spent just shy of 15 hours over the last month. What a great experience it has been.

Most of my time has been spent assisting the elderly in their structured activates. Bingo is a favored game for the ladies. I assist the elderly with poor eye sight in marking their numbers helping them working towards winning the nickel pot. A variety of art and craft projects are provided daily for the residents. I took part in setting up the activities as well as providing conversation for the ladies while they engage in the projects. I loved seeing their faces light up as they remembered me from the previous visits. I also helped with clipping coupons for the elderly to sort into bins for them to use on their purchases. Those were just a few ways I interacted with the residents at Sunrise Retirement Center.

An elderly person is bound just like a new born baby. Unable to communicate because of a stroke can leave an elderly frustrated. An elderly will have to find other ways to communicate what his or her needs are as does a baby who has not learned how to talk. Hands stuck in a tight position because of arthritis limits an elderly from painting a beautiful picture or lifting a cup to his or her mouth. A conversation that continues to repeat itself is a sign of a bad day for an elderly. The mind is unable to remember. All of these examples are reasons a baby and an elder both need assistance in his or her daily routines.

I have enjoyed interacting with the elderly that reside in the home. I would also have to say growing old is very sad. I do not look forward to not be able to provide for myself. I know some may disagree and think I am cruel for saying that but it is the truth. I am thankful that we have retirement homes to help with assistance for those who do not have family who are able to assist. It takes a special person to work with the elderly. The person must be very patient and understand. It can be annoying to hear the same story over and over again from an elder person. A person must engage his or herself and treat it as if the conversation is being heard for the first time.

With our reading assigning of “Three Cups of Tea” the students of English 98 went in search for our “Mortenson”. Mortenson is a man of many accomplishments with one being a selfless giving person. Through my experience at Sunrise Retirement Home I found myself observing both the employees and the residence. With my observation I truly found the “Mortenson” of Sunrise Retirement Home her name is Scotty. Scotty has lived the past few years on the side where assistance is not a constant need. During one of my scheduled activities I noticed Scotty had followed me over to the hospital side of the residence. When I was setting up the activity I had ask Scotty if she would be joining. She told me she was there to assist her neighbors. Scotty informed me how she had become ill and spent eighteen months on the hospital side and became part of the family. Because of the care she received she felt a passion to help the residence who needed additional help. She was not an employee and does not receive discounts for helping out. Scotty does it out of pure heart. Overall this was a great learning experience.