Having Fun With The Elders

This is the lobby of Aegis Living.


Finding a place to volunteer was something very difficult to find for my partner, Monisha, and I. At first, we called various Nursing Homes around our area and was only able to get accepted by one. However, to volunteer at facilities like these, certain requirements are needed, like orientations. Due to the conflicts that came up with getting an appointment with the Activity Director, Monisha and I were not able to getour orientation done until last Wednesday. However, through all the waiting and hard work we had to do to get our orientation done, Monisha and I were able to get our first volunteer job done last Saturday at Aegis Living by Walnut Avenue.

For our first volunteer, I was excited and anxious because I have never volunteered anywhere outside school. Our shift was from 9 am to 12 pm and we volunteered with two other people. When we first got there, Monisha and I met the first elder that we encountered at Aegis Living while we were waiting at the lobby. Mary came up to us and started talking about how much she loves walking around. At first, it felt a little uncomfortable because when she talked, she would walk right infront of me and move her head close to mine. This made me a little nervous and for a moment I did not how to respond to her but to smile and laugh at what she was saying. Then she got really comfortable and started talking about her family and how she was there because her husband had passed away and her kids are currently looking for a good place for her to live. At that moment, I felt shocked and a little flattered that she would even talk to me about something personal. This is one of the benefits that I felt while volunteering. Throughout the three hours that Monisha and I volunteered, I felt wanted and appreciated. The elders were people who you can sit down with and just talk about anything for the whole day. Often though, the elders, like Mary, would repeat stories that they have said multiple times, which was something I found cute, sad, and entertaining all at the same time. Also, I was able to witness something that we dont usually witness on a regular basis. In fact, like anyone, elders seek for company, friends, and daily activities that will keep them moving and occupied.

Throughout our morning shift, Monisha and I first helped out set up the chairs for the morning exercise that the elders do on Saturday mornings. Then by 10 am we did stretches and workouts with little weights with the elders that was led by one of the volunteers. After that event, the elders wanted to sing and liten to music so we had a little sing along with them with songs that were popular back in the days. After this morning activity, the elders left to go to their rooms and prepare for the Mother's Day Luncheon, sice it was the day before Mother's Day. For the luncheon, families of elders came to visit and had lunch with their parents. To prepare for this, we helped set up the utensils, table mats, and flowers on the tables. By this time, the elders' families were arriving and Monisha an I headed out on our way.

Overall, this volunteer experience was succesful and something that I am looking forward to do again. In fact, we are required to volunteer at Aegis Living for 50 hours so Monisha and I will be going back to volunteer for our next 3 volunteer assignments.

This is Mary, one of the elders we met.

This is the exercise room that we helped set up.

These are the tables we helped set up.