Relationship Savvy » seniors

Volunteers Fill Void for Seniors Needing Aid, Companionship

Jennifer — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 04:53:44 +0000

After living on her own in senior housing for 26 years, Cornelia Kane turns to volunteer Barbar Ginhardt of Little Brothers - Friends of the Elderly for help and support.

After more than a quarter century living on her own in senior housing, 95-year-old Cornelia Kane of Philadelphia finally needed help. “I used to be able to do things myself, but now with my health concerns, I need more assistance,” she says. Kane’s situation represents a growing need among America’s seniors – not ready to live with full-time care, many still need a helping hand to get through daily routines.

By 2030, the number of Americans 80 and older is expected to rise from 9.3 million (in 2000) to 10.5 million, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With this increased average life span, comes an increased demand on resources from health to social services. Volunteer-based organizations like Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly (LBFE), who assist Kane in her Philadelphia home, are stepping in to fill a growing need.

“Just hearing her voice makes me feel good,” Kane says about the LBFE volunteer who visits her. “My family all live a long distance and come to stay with me when they can. Yet having someone to check on me every day, even if it’s just to talk, is a real jewel in my life.”

The effects of an aging population resonate with organizations like Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly. For most of its eight chapters in the US, the average age of the seniors the group serves has risen to 85, with an increasing number of their elders approaching centenarian status. For example, in the agency’s Philadelphia chapter, 20 percent of the “old friends” to which they provide services are over the age of 90. LBFE has even had instances where their visiting volunteers are seeing two generations of one family.

“It is important when we think of the needs of older adults today that we focus not just on their physical needs, but also on the importance of companionship and friendship,” says Lea Ames, national executive director of LBFE.

Older Americans spend less time socializing and communicating as they age, according to the “Older Americans 2008: Key Indicators of Well-Being” report issued by the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics. In fact, Americans between 55 and 64 spend 13 percent of their leisure time doing activities like visiting friends and attending social events, while that proportion decreases to10 percent for those 75 years and older.

Isolation and loneliness can produce emotional pain as well as mental and physical deterioration. Social networking can have a positive impact on the health and well-being of seniors. University of Chicago researchers found that lonely older adults had greater age-related increases in blood pressure and poorer sleep quality than elderly who are more socially active.

So what can you do to help?

* Perhaps you have an elderly neighbor that doesn’t have the support of family or friends in the area or an older adult that you regularly see in the grocery store on their own. See if they would be interested in having someone visit them or help out with errands. Community service starts with one person, one action.

* Intergenerational relationships can have a positive impact on older and younger adults. Consider organizing a group of students from the local school or a scout troop to come visit older adults in your community’s senior housing project or assisted living facility.

* If you have a parent or older relative that lives a longer distance from you and needs companionship or assistance, contact the local Chamber of Commerce to see if there are services or agencies, such as Little Brothers – Friends of the Elderly. For more information, visit www.littlebrothers.org or call (312) 786-1032.

* Don’t underestimate the impact that companionship or a friendly gesture can have on someone, especially an older adult who may lack strong social networks. Reach out to that person — think of how your life will be enriched making a new friend and helping out someone at the same time.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

Living History: Preserving Veterans’ Stories

Jennifer — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 12:57:11 +0000

“History is a guide to navigation in perilous times,” author David McCullough once wrote. George Santayana took a more cautionary view, warning that anyone who ignored the lessons of history would be “doomed to repeat it.” But for Minnesotan Ron Hagberg and Holly Hinkle of Alabama, history isn’t just a series of events far removed from their lives; it’s personal.

Hinkle and Hagberg, both representatives of the Visiting Angels organization, have spent the past few months listening to and recording the personal experiences of World War II and Korean War veterans. “Every day, approximately 1,000 veterans of World War II and Korea pass away,” says Lawrence Meigs, president of Visiting Angels. “It’s critical that we capture their stories for future generations. Their personal roles in two of history’s most significant conflicts are priceless, both for their families and for our country.”

Because Visiting Angels provides in-home care for senior citizens, the organization is uniquely positioned to find and speak with veterans, Meigs says. In addition to soliciting stories from clients and their families, franchisees are actively getting the word out into the community that they are looking for veterans, he adds.

Working with the U.S. Veteran’s History Project, some 300 Visiting Angels franchises are finding veterans and collecting their oral testimonies and biographies. The organization’s goal is to archive at least 300 biographies by the end of the year, and donate them to the Library of Congress.

To participate in the program, Hinkle, Hagberg, and members of their staff, have trained in how to interview the veterans. American StoryKeepers of Mesa, Ariz., supplies Visiting Angels franchisees with audio-biography kits, tape recorders and step-by-step interviewing instructions.

Everyone who has done an interview has been deeply moved by the experience, Hinkle says. She recalls one interviewee whose wife was amazed by his eagerness to tell his story. “She said she had never heard him talk about his war experiences before,” Hinkle says. “Some have made their peace with their experiences. But for others, the healing process is still ongoing, and these interviews are very healing for them.”

Another interviewee, who happened to be Hinkle’s uncle, recounted being wounded behind enemy lines during World War II. Afraid he might not be able to make it back to his unit’s medical facilities, he took refuge in a house. He ran into the basement only to find it full of Germans hiding from the gunfire outside. “They were as scared as I was,” he recalled. One of the refugees dressed his wound.

Hagberg interviewed an 83-year-old former high school social studies teacher who had fought in Korea. When Hagberg and his assistant arrived at the man’s house, they found his dining room table covered with photographs, notes and memorabilia. The man had stayed up all night preparing for the interview. At the end of the two-hour interview, he broke down and told Hagberg: “I cannot tell you how important this is. No one has ever asked me to tell my story before.”

Interaction with these older vets made Hagberg realize, he says, the impact military service has on the lives of those who serve, including the Americans currently fighting in Iraq. While the eyes of the world are on conflicts that impact history, Americans need to remember that “these are personal stories” as well, Hagberg says. “These events have shaped their lives.”

Any veteran who would like to be interviewed should contact their local Visiting Angels franchise, or call the corporate office at (800) 365-4189. For more information about Visiting Angels and the Story Keeper program, visit www.visitingangels.com. For more on the Veterans History Project, visit www.loc.gov/vets.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

EDITOR’S NOTE:Visiting Angels is a national franchisor with over 300 locally owned and operated offices across the United States and Canada providing in-home care to thousands of senior citizens so that they can remain independent in their own homes.