Today I spent an hour and a half at Whitten Heights Senior Center on the second floor, which is their Memory Care program.
It was a little awkward, as they had the residents seated at a table, and the volunteers walked up to talk to them, but there were not seats for us and it was hard to talk to them the way it was set up a little bit.
There were a few birthdays for the month of December, only one of the residents were there... the one man among all the women. He, was hilarious. He sang to some of the girl volunteers, kissed one on the cheek... he was a pistol, for sure! We sang Happy Birthday, and he loved it.
There was one woman who only spoke Spanish, and I do not speak any Spanish... she grabbed my arm and would not let go. They had her up from the table, because she was getting a little "hostile" and they said she needed to walk it off. She was talking to me non stop and laughing, and I felt bad because I didnt understand her and she didnt understand me. At one point she wanted to pick my nose, and the nurse stopped her. It was pretty funny. But one of the guys there, listening, told me she thought I was her granddaughter. I said I felt bad because I couldnt understand her or talk back, and he said really - all that matters is she is happy her granddaughter came to see her today. It is what it is :)
This was an experience, I would like to say I will do it again but I wish the setup was a bit different and that we could sit down next to the residents, and get comfortable and talk to them. It was setup just a bit awkward. But it was a nice day, and we made them happy!
In the elevator... heading up.
All of us who volunteered today. Some through the Meetup group I was with and some from a Church Ministry.
The gorgeous tree in the lobby.
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