Date: Fri 29-Jan-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: JAN

Quick Words:

Ashlar-volunteers

Full Text:

Ashlar Volunteers Find Purpose And Rewards Among Old Friends

BY JAN HOWARD

Residents of Ashlar of Newtown are like those in any home. They like to

receive visits from friends and loved ones, pet a dog or cat, walk outdoors,

participate in activities and just enjoy a one-on-one conversation.

To augment the efforts of relatives and friends, the nursing home's Community

Resources Department volunteers, over 100 in number, help to enhance the

qualify of life for the residents in many ways.

"A casual visit, watering plants or providing coffee on a daily basis in the

lobby are just a few ways that volunteers are an integral part of our life,"

Hilda DeLucia, community resources manager of Ashlar, said recently.

But additional volunteers are needed, and Ms DeLucia is actively recruiting

area residents to meet some needs that are not being met.

New volunteer opportunities will arise when Lockwood Lodge, an assisted living

residence, opens at Ashlar in February. The new facility will need volunteers

in the gift shop and coffee shop, reception area, for transportation, as

dining room hosts or hostesses, or transporting residents to the beauty salon.

New programs include a Mom and Tot Program, where mothers and children visit

with residents; Bon Appetite Program, visiting with residents in the dining

room during meals or feeding residents; walkers, taking residents on a casual

15- to 30-minute walk outside; clipping magazine and newspaper articles about

Ashlar and skilled nursing industry; and setting up an e-mail program.

"Once volunteers are in place with a regular assignment, the employees are a

big part of the reason why volunteers stay. It's a very casual, open and

friendly environment. Volunteers are seen as essential parts of the team of

care," Ms DeLucia said. Ashlar works with volunteers in responding to their

hours and days of commitment and their interests, she said.

Residents and volunteers benefit from the program, Ms DeLucia said. The

personal interaction and stimulation the volunteers provide to residents in

various capacities is the biggest benefit.

"The most common response I hear from volunteers is ~`I get far more out of

this than they can ever imagine,'" Ms DeLucia said.

Pet Therapy

Volunteers and residents alike enjoy the visits and interaction between them,

which was very obvious during a recent pet therapy program visit by Sophia, a

poodle, and her owner, Jane Hellman. As they walked the halls or looked into

residents' rooms, they were welcomed by smiles and outstretched hands to pet

Sophia.

"I love when volunteers come through with their dogs. These are my favorite

ones. I love poodles," Ashlar resident Irma Layne said.

Ms Hellman has been visiting at Ashlar with her poodles for three years. She

now spends from two to four hours once a week.

"I have been involved with dogs forever," she said. "Having them in my life is

special to me. I want to share that special gift."

The dogs received pet therapy training through the Delta Society. Ms Hellman

also attended a Delta Society for Partners workshop training session.

"The dog is the therapist, but they need the human to get them there," she

said. "The dog is what has the therapeutic result."

Ms Hellman learned about Ashlar through a referral from the Booth Library.

Soon after, the weekly visits to Ashlar by Ms Hellman and the poodles began.

"I really love it; it's an important part of my week," Ms Hellman said.

"Ashlar has lots of activities, but this is something different. People had

dogs at home, and it brings something into their lives they miss."

"I ask if they want a visit or to pet the dog. They get to give the dog a

treat. For a person who's depressed or not responsive, it's a lot," Ms Hellman

said. "Some people have very little response to their surroundings. If I can

get their attention, it can be as basic as petting the dog, particularly if

they might not ordinarily use their hands."

She alternates her three dogs, bringing only one at a time. "They're very

socialized. Wheel chairs, crutches, walkers, or other medical equipment don't

bother them."

Helping Hands

Elizabeth Clark has been volunteering at Ashlar since the beginning of

November. She first learned about the program in The Newtown Bee.

"I just wanted to do something like this," she said.

She does a variety of volunteer activities, though most of her time is spent

on administrative duties, such as stuffing envelopes or doing mailings.

Before Christmas, she helped with gift wrapping, and sometimes she hands out

lunches from meal trays or sits and chats with the residents. "I'm just

feeling my way at the moment," Ms Clark said.

She visits with about six residents, though not necessarily the same ones each

time. "I'm just getting to know them, and it takes time for them to get to

know me," she said. "I'm trying to get to know more all the time, and I always

go back to those I've talked to before."

Extra Time Well Spent

Three and a half years ago, Mike Powers stopped at Ashlar to see what he could

do to help out. He had been driving past the facility for 12 years and had

also read about it in the newspaper.

"Because I'm a pilot, I often have time during the day," he said. "I thought

volunteering some place would be good."

Since then, he has been spending some mornings serving coffee and tea from a

cart in Ashlar's lobby and talking with residents.

"We sit around and talk about what's in the newspapers that day," he said. "I

average one day a week for a couple of hours, on weekdays."

He has also visited with male residents, and helped residents when they wanted

to go outside, especially one man who liked to feed the ducks at the nearby

pond.

"For him, it was a big treat to be outside," Mr Powers said.

A Family Affair

Mary-Lee Conte and her daughters, Nadine, 8, and Gabby, 12, began volunteering

a year ago. They learned about Ashlar when Nadine's class from Hawley School

sang Christmas carols there in 1997.

They now spend about two hours on Tuesdays visiting with residents.

During a recent visit, the children brought smiles to residents' faces as they

talked to them or gave them hugs.

"We meet with four residents who are our to-do list," Ms Conte said. "We try

to make a commitment to those four."

"We visit with everyone we know," Nadine added with a grin.

The girls read to two women residents. "Another we chat with," Ms Conte said.

"She lets them read to her if it's their schoolwork, to help them."

Gabby said, "Volunteering at Ashlar is fun. I like visiting here because you

start getting close to the residents and feel like you are part of their

lives, too."

"When I'm doing something for someone else, it makes me happy, too," Nadine

said.

"It's wonderful the way the residents love them back," Ms Conte said. "It

makes wonderful sense, the children and the elderly, together."

The Contes meet regularly with resident Dorothy Quinn.

"Dorothy we just see because we love her," Ms Conte said. "We think of Dorothy

as a grandmother. It's a privilege to be invited into her life."

Mrs Quinn said she looks forward to the girls' visits, and feels they are

beneficial to them, also. "It gives them a look at what happens in life," she

said. "These little girls are friendly with all of us up here."

But volunteering with the elderly can bring some sadness, too, as the Conte

family discovered recently when they learned a resident they visited had died.

Their eyes filled with tears as they learned about their friend's death.

But they have their beliefs to give them strength at such times, Ms Conte

said.

The Contes also participate in Ashlar's summer camp program, where residents

and children enjoy joint activities, such as crafts and strawberry picking.

The Contes encourage others to volunteer. "I think if you went to Ashlar,

you'd get to meet the residents and get close to them, and they would get

close to you," Gabby said.

They all agreed they don't like to leave. "It's a great place here," Nadine

said.

"Everyone needs love," Ms Conte said. "That's why we're here."

To volunteer or for additional information, call Ms DeLucia at Ashlar of

Newtown at 426-5847.