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January 20, 2005
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January 20, 2005 |
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Friends Care revitalizing needed volunteer program
When Lucia DeRidder began volunteering at Friends Care Community several months ago, she didn’t know what to expect. In fact, she was a little nervous. She wondered if the residents would like her, or if talking with them might leave her depressed. But the two hours she spends each Wednesday morning at FCC has turned out to be the opposite of what she expected. “It’s very joyful,” she said. “I really get a kick out of it.” DeRidder is one of about 15 villagers who currently volunteer at FCC, but the nursing home needs more. Recently, Friends Care began a new volunteer recruitment effort led by Andrée Bognár, and as part of that effort, FCC will host a volunteer training session on Saturday, Jan. 29, from 10 a.m. to noon, in the multipurpose room. “We want to revive the volunteer program,” Bognar said. “We would like to see more people. There is much more to do.” Friends Care needs volunteers for a variety of activities, including helping to distribute food in the dining room at evening dinner time, helping to transport wheelchair-bound residents to activities, talking one-on-one with residents, performing office tasks or staffing the center’s reception desk on weekends. Volunteers also may lead activities for residents. Currently, volunteers offer weaving, exercise, tai chi and musical events, among others, said Ronnie Francisco, the director of admissions at Friends Care. While DeRidder has led exercise classes for several years, she only a few months ago began visiting with residents each Wednesday morning. She loves to chat, she said, and enjoys the time spent with FCC residents, who have rich histories and opinions that they share with her. “Yesterday I had problems in my head when I left for Friends Care and later I realized I hadn’t thought about them for the two hours I was there,” she said last week. “It’s not a one-sided thing. I feel it’s very rewarding.” For several years Mitzi Manny has volunteered at Friends Care each Wednesday during lunchtime, playing the accordion while Kevin Kelble plays piano. Some of the residents sleep through the music, while some tap their feet and others sing along, said Manny. She will never forget the elderly resident who couldn’t speak but who, when she began playing “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,” sang along, Manny said. “Music can do things for people that other things can’t,” she said. “It’s a happy time for me.” As well as coordinating the new program, Bognár also volunteers herself, visiting an older friend regularly, helping her to “focus on her food” at dinner. The woman doesn’t have family in town, Bognár said, and “she needs someone there.” For Bognár, spending time with FCC residents teaches valuable lessons about the aging process. “She gives to me because I see how she copes with what’s going on,” Bognár said. “We forget too easily how much people cope, and how we can learn from that. We can learn to be patient and to listen.” Since Friends Care’s inception in 1980, volunteers have played a significant role in the center’s success, Francisco said. However, she said, in the past few years volunteer recruitment efforts have lessened, since the FCC no longer had a person on staff with that specific responsibility. When Bognár retired this fall as coordinator of the FCC-funded Home Assistance Program, she aimed her energy toward the Friends Care volunteer program. “There’s no way to say how grateful we are and how much we depend on volunteers without sounding sappy, but it’s true,” Francisco said. “We’re revitalizing a program that desperately needs revitalization.” Those interested in volunteering at Friends Care, or in participating in the volunteer training, should call Bognár at 767-2950.
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