[Member Post]
Engaging the Most Vulnerable
Many of us have seen the images of mostly elderly folks with their faces and hands on windows, as a loved one gazes at them with smiles or tears on the other side. We are trying to protect these people who are in nursing homes, in the last years of their lives, by incarcerating them. It is both frustrating and heartbreaking. We have also isolated those who are in their own homes but in a fragile condition.
I relate to these situations because I am a hospice volunteer. My patient whom I had been seeing for many months has been isolated from visitors since the start of the coronavirus, except for the medical staff from hospice. My patient in particular has dementia, and although I have been sending her greeting cards with a photo of me inside, I suspect her recollection of me has become tenuous if not non-existent. Yet I know the cards bring her joy, which is most important.
The other day, however, I saw an invitation from hospice that delighted me. Our supervisors asked if anyone would like to engage some of our hospice patients as pen pals! Remember pen pals? It’s been a long time since I have had a pen pal relationship, mostly with cousins and friends. But writing letters to someone who lives alone, who is still vibrant in spite of the knowledge that she has a limited time on this earth, seemed like a special opportunity.
You Never Know Whose Life You’ll Touch
Everyday Hero
When a young man has a calling to step up and help others, without pressure or financial reward, he should be recognized and lauded. I want to celebrate Rodney Smith. He serves as a model of selflessness by helping others, just because he can.
Rodney’s journey to help others began in the fall of 2015 when he saw a senior citizen struggling to mow his lawn:
When Smith got out of his car and helped the man finish his yard, he decided to start the organization [Raising Men Lawn Care Service] in his hometown — Huntsville, Alabama. Now, 137 kids in the United States, and a few others abroad, are mowing lawns in their communities, Smith told CBS News.
