“I Have A Friend” smiling is important By Laurie Black If you know a senior who could benefit from having a weekly, friendly visit or if you would like to volunteer to visit a senior, call the Senior Visitors Program at (540) 371-2 2704 or visit our website at mhafred.org to download volunteer or senior applications. The Senior Visitors Program is a free community service program of Mental Health America of Fredericksburg.
Donate to a Cancer Organization Let’s Find a Cure!
Laurie Black is the Senior Visitors Program Coordinator.
donatelifevirginia.org It was almost five years ago I highlighted volunteer, Nancy Wright, and her senior friend, Josephine. It is an honor to highlight her again with her friend, Jackie. Nancy has volunteered with the Senior Visitors Program for almost 14 years. She has visited with several seniors over those years and has given more than 600 volunteer hours. I asked Nancy about her senior friends and what it is about the Senior Visitors Program that keeps her engaged in volunteer service. Nancy said, "they have all been very different, but I love it! I get emotionally attached. I think it is important to give back and this is something I have the ability to do." The Senior Visitors Program volunteers visit their senior friend once a week for an hour. Isolation and loneliness are real issues for older adults and can lead to a host of health and mental health challenges. The Senior Visitors Program seeks to alleviate that isolation and loneliness by connecting older adults with a volunteer from their community. With the uncertain and ever-changing pandemic we are experiencing, loneliness can be a real problem, especially for older adults who were already feeling isolated. The Senior Visitors Program volunteers have found creative, safe ways to stay connected with their seniors and ease their isolation.
Nancy explains, "An hour a week is not too much. [Older adults] are isolated and it is not a challenge to find a way to fit into their world. I love to get a senior talking about their life and the good things they've experienced. It also fills a need in me. Volunteering brings me comfort, routine, and a concern for others which we all need." Jackie says of her visits and time with Nancy, "We go out or we stay in. It depends on how we feel. Nancy's visits are very important to me. She helps me. She's entertaining and adventurous. She has a fun personality, and she makes me smile. Smiling is important." Nancy says of Jackie, "In some things we are polar opposites, and, in some things, we are the same, but we always get along wonderfully! Jackie is spicy and full of life. Our visits are always entertaining." On a final note, Jackie said, "Nancy is a marvelous representative of your organization. You need more volunteers like Nancy!" Jackie, I couldn't agree more! We all need a friend who appreciates us and makes our days brighter. We need someone we can count on and remember good times with. We all need to remember that "smiling is important." .
10
February 2022
Front porch fredericksburg
