| Growing older -- make use of it! By Paul Kusuda |
| and what could be done to improve their life and possibly their living conditions. BEST would be to become active in the community and to do something about what they thought should be done. There is a growing number of people who are more than helpful to elderly family members, neighbors, and friends who need and appreciate regular visits, even though such visits are not very long. Caregiving responsibilities can take a lot out of people who devote time to be there. Many who have not been caregivers have little idea as to how much time, effort and personal energy are involved. To avoid burn-out, many caregivers join support groups. Probably, more should find nearby groups as a way to reduce the vast amount of stress that can develop. Becoming active in the community, however, is easier said than done. One would think that by the time we've become "seniors" and have entered the "golden age," we'd have an easy time becoming active in the community. The fact is, for too many, that just isn't true. Usually, unless we happen to be specifically asked to do something, we hesitate to barge in. We don't want to impose ourselves on others even though we're willing to help someone out. If someone asked us to do something for or in the community, we would probably extend ourselves. So, why not be a bit forward and offer our time and energy? Volunteering can be done without overdoing it, of course. It's not easy to proclaim, "Hey, I'm ready to volunteer to do something to help someone." Instead, we think: "What can I do? I don't know. I really haven't thought about it. What I did before I retired may not be useful as a volunteer activity. Besides, I don't want to be pushy or pretend to be what I'm not." And so goes our thought train -- essentially negative, self-effacing, and with a tinge of embarassment. All kinds of volunteer services are needed. One of my friends, a World War II Purple Heart veteran, volunteers at the VA Hospital and motivates patients to become interested in craft work when VA staff were not successful in reaching them with occupational therapy. Another World War II veteran does a different kind of volunteering. As a retired architect, he contributes his professional skills to Habitat for Humanity. In addition to providing the architectural design and supervising construction, he also engages in the carpentry work resulting in new homes for low-income families who themselves participate in the carpentry and other work connected with building new homes. Other examples of volunteer opportunities include visiting shut-ins; helping young children with their reading or school assignments; being a friend to someone who is lonely or has limited means to get around; participating in Folk Fairs; being part of an intergenerational project with elementary school, middle school, or high school students on a one-time or multiple time basis; delivering cards, flowers, and other items in a hospital; answering telephones or doing simple (or complex) desk work for non-profit or public agencies; gift-wrapping at holiday times; grilling, wrapping, or selling brats and weiners; delivering meals to shut-ins; helping out at meal sites; helping with gardening; giving talks about personal experiences; helping people to achieve proficiency in English; and sorting books and other materials to be sold by organizations such as Friends of Public Libraries, churches and the American Association of University Women. Since some volunteer-work assignments are of short-term duration -- like stuffing, addressing, or stamping envelopes-- a person could give it a try and maybe note possible availability when a need comes up in the future. Another method might be to become listed on an on-call basis for whatever assignment might come up. Two contacts are the United Way Volunteer Center and RSVP of Dane County. The Volunteer Center is a clearinghouse for volunteer opportunities in non-profit agencies. Its telephone number is (608) 246-5487. RSVP of Dane County recruits persons 55 years of age and older for volunteer opportunities in non-profit and public agencies, in addition to a number of volunteer projects coordinated by RSVP staff that may include people under 55 years of age. RSVP's telephone number is (608) 238-7787. Not having volunteered through the United Way Volunteer Center, I'm not familiar with how the program operates; however, contacts should prove fruitful. My volunteer activities with United Way began in 1967 when its name was United Givers of Madison and it was before volunteerism was established as a special entity. I am more familiar with RSVP (Retired and Senior Volunteer Program), having been a volunteer there in many different ways. You may be interested to know that RSVP of Dane County will be celebrating its 35th year of operation with a big event at the Marriott West Madison on Thursday, October 4, 2007. RSVP is like a Peace Corps for seniors except that the volunteer determines where and for how long they volunteer. The event will celebrate the 2,000 active volunteers who each year provide 180,000 hours of public service equivalent to a 90-person company working on a full-time basis to help others. Surprisingly, more than one-fifth of RSVP volunteers are 80 to 100 years old! Also, 161 are over 85 years old!/Special attention will be paid during the 35th Anniversary Event to the 30 current RSVP volunteers who have served 20 years or more and 75 others who have served at least 4,000 hours. So, Dane County not only has many, many volunteer opportunities; it has many, many volunteers. More volunteers are welcome. Some voluntary services can even be done at home - knitting, needlework, sewing infant wear, making cloth toys, and using the telephone. |
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| Last month, I wrote that growing older wasn't so bad for some of us. My advice was that fortunate older folk should make GOOD use of their time: appreciating friends and families, getting to know grandchildren better, reading, traveling, etc. BETTER use of time (in addition to appreciation of others) would be to think about those less fortunate than ourselves |