Forget Me Not

By Rebecca Napier

Everyone I have met from CAP, I just want to adopt them, I just love them!” said Ellen Merrill, a 65-year-old widow who lives alone in Eastern Kentucky. “They are loving, giving and caring, and they don’t just leave when the work is done, they make sure I am not forgotten,” said Merrill while reflecting on the housing crew that made repairs to her home.

Last year Merrill was sitting alone in her home with the cold winter chill setting in fearing that the rest of the world had forgotten about her. Her windows were falling out, there was no heating or air conditioning, and the roof desperately needed repairs which she could not afford. She had lost all hope and was ready to give up until a knock on her front door changed everything.

“I was wearing two sets of clothes and a hat to keep warm because it was 49 degrees inside my home. When I answered the door, Dominic was standing there,” Merrill recalled.

When Dominic Valentine, a CAP Housing crew leader, shook her hand and introduced himself; he noticed that her hand was freezing. “Dominic said, ‘You’re not warm enough, we need to do something about that.’ He went that day and brought me a heater. I’ve been warm ever since then,” Merrill said with a smile.

Peggy Ridenour, a CAP Housing volunteer, and AmeriCorps member, worked on Merrill’s home last March.

“When I first met Ellen, she walked with a walker, but very slowly. She didn’t go out much, except to the store and church. I kept in touch with her, and every time I saw her, she was improving, little by little, and I think she appreciated the company.” Ridenour knew that Merrill would benefit from CAP’s Elderly Services Program and urged her to apply.

The Elderly Services Program provides companionship and support to isolated seniors in need of assistance. It makes a real impact by providing friendship and opportunities for community involvement. Many participants don’t have viable support systems, so CAP is their only connection to the community. For these vulnerable seniors, CAP meets critical transportation needs and provides other vital support.

Isolation can have severe effects on older adults. According to one article from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), research shows that socially isolated older adults are more likely to have heart disease, depression, and premature cognitive decline. The AARP also pointed to a study that showed that isolation is connected to an increased risk of death in older adults. The companionship and social opportunities that the Elderly Services Program provides are a vital part of CAP’s services.

Carolyn Lindsey, manager of the Elderly Services and Family Advocacy Programs in Rockcastle, Jackson, and McCreary Counties said, “When participants have the opportunity to be around others to have conversations, to share meals, or just to have fun, it increases our participants’s outlook on life. It lets them know someone cares about them; it provides them comfort, and it gives them something to look forward to.” Lindsey said that it also has a positive effect on their health. “Knowing that they have a chance to get out of the house and be around others takes their mind off their physical ailments and the loneliness they experience, even if only for a short time,” she said.

When Merrill signed up with Elderly Services, she was given a caseworker to visit her monthly, run errands, and take her to medical appointments. Her caseworker, Ruth Davis, provides companionship and makes sure Merrill can participate in CAP events, like the annual women’s retreat, a three-day event highlighting spiritual growth.

Every year several outings and social opportunities, like the retreat, are planned for participants, including trips to the movies, pizza parties, and holiday celebrations. Like many of the elderly participants we serve, CAP has transformed Merrill’s outlook, bringing her closer to her community and those around her.

Ridenour was happy to see the changes that the Elderly Services Program had made in Merrill’s life. “When I saw her this year at the women’s retreat, I was totally amazed,” Ridenour said. “Every time I saw her, she was talking to someone new.”

“Just getting to know the CAP employees and volunteers made a huge impact on my life,” Merrill added. “CAP opened my eyes to the fact that there are more people in the community like me. I have even met people that I am related to that I never knew about.”

Now, Merrill not only has friends but also family members in the community. She no longer feels alone. She takes immense pride in her newly repaired home and hopes to have her friends over often. “I am happy with the way my home looks now, and I would be comfortable having anybody over,” she said.

While the sounds of hammers and saws no longer ring out through her home, CAP’s presence in Merrill’s life remains stronger than ever.

Ellen Merrill takes immense pride in her newly repaired home and hopes to have her friends over often.

Ellen Merrill is all smiles while attending CAP’s annual women’s retreat held at Camp AJ.