Learning from the elders every Friday evening.
In the fall semester of 2012, I volunteered at a nursing home in Bryan, TX. There was no reasoning behind me going to the nursing home other than just the simple fact of I just wanted to go. My thoughts before I went to the nursing home was that the all the older people there would just be in a slumber. I always had unsure feelings about the nursing home because I could not help but think that it is the last place you go before you die. I am not scared of death, however I am scared of not living my life to the fullest.
Every Friday evening I would have dinner with the residents of the nursing home. The first dinner date I went on with the elders, was an interesting experience. There was one tiny, old lady who set down her drink, looked at me, and then asked “would you like to see my britches?” I really did not know how to respond to this but before I could the nursing home coordinator took me to another table to sit. I was later informed that the tiny, old lady is called “sugar britches” because of the forward questions she asks involving her underpants. The next table I sat with I met a man named Mr. Smith. He was a very polished, good looking, older man. I do not like to pick favorites, however he was he has a special in my heart. When I talked to him he would tell me about his life, his family, and what he did in his younger days. I really enjoyed the time talking to him because he always remembered my name and was very sweet to me. He would even call me for my birthday to wish me a “good one.” One of my favorite things about Mr. Smith is that he was always in the know of what was going on, I mean the man had a Facebook! Mr. Smith was a hoot and his sense of humor and charm always got me grinning. There was a variety of elder people at the home, I met a man who was a Veteran, a woman whose son in law played for the Buffalo Bills, and a proud mother of a Texas A&M graduate with a degree in Chemistry. As the fall semester went on I knew I was in a really special place. I had chatted with one of the nurses at the nursing home, and she had showed me videos of the older people having a dance party. I was quite shocked to say the least. My preassumption about the old people was that they were basically “boring,” however they acted like they were in their younger ages. One of the funniest things that happened at the nursing home is when the older people decided to tell little bit of adult jokes. Their dirty jokes actually took me a while to realize that they were being a little mischievous. I did not mind though, it was pretty funny and it made me realized that they had the mindset of a college student. The older people knew that they were climbing up in age, however they were young in their eyes. What I learned from the nursing home is that those special homes are not a terrible place to end up. If you live your life to the fullest then you will be able to enjoy your time by relaxing, reflecting, and still causing a little bit of trouble. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the nursing home was one of the most fun places to go in College Station-Bryan area.
Another one of my favorite stories came from an older couple in the nursing home. They were a very little, quiet couple named Mr. and Mrs. Yawn. Mr. Yawn would like to finish his wife sentences and tell the stories while she just nodded and agreed with what he said. Mrs. Yawn had told me that she met her husband after her divorce. I joked around with the Mrs. Yawn that she was a “cougar” because her husband was a few years younger than her. It was obvious that the couple was in love. They really seemed to care about each other. I had asked them what their secret to a successful marriage was and they talked about each other as their best friend. By looking at this couple, I was not inspired to run out and go find a boyfriend however it made me realize that you can care for someone for the long haul. All the relationships I have now I want them to last for a long time. There is a difference between wanting a relationship to last and working for it. The older couple inspired me to connect to family members I have lost touch with over the years and keep in contact with the people who are currently in my life now. Since I have been in college I have slowly lost contact with my immediate family from back home, but I had made it a goal to at least call them twice a week and go see them once during the school semester. I also have been faulty about returning to the nursing home. Due to time conflicts with school I have been unable to attend the nursing home. I will work on going to the home at least twice a month because the elders in the nursing home should not always come second to my schooling. I really do appreciate what they have done for me. The relationships that I have now mean a lot to me and I do not want to lose them due to the lack of commitment.
The whole nursing home experience was something that will always hold a special place for me. I met people that are one of a kind and truly are irreplaceable. I absolutely loved my time at the home and I hope to give back either in my time or in donations. I would encourage almost every person to go visit a nursing home and hopefully have the experiences that I had.
Written Spring of 2014
Every Friday evening I would have dinner with the residents of the nursing home. The first dinner date I went on with the elders, was an interesting experience. There was one tiny, old lady who set down her drink, looked at me, and then asked “would you like to see my britches?” I really did not know how to respond to this but before I could the nursing home coordinator took me to another table to sit. I was later informed that the tiny, old lady is called “sugar britches” because of the forward questions she asks involving her underpants. The next table I sat with I met a man named Mr. Smith. He was a very polished, good looking, older man. I do not like to pick favorites, however he was he has a special in my heart. When I talked to him he would tell me about his life, his family, and what he did in his younger days. I really enjoyed the time talking to him because he always remembered my name and was very sweet to me. He would even call me for my birthday to wish me a “good one.” One of my favorite things about Mr. Smith is that he was always in the know of what was going on, I mean the man had a Facebook! Mr. Smith was a hoot and his sense of humor and charm always got me grinning. There was a variety of elder people at the home, I met a man who was a Veteran, a woman whose son in law played for the Buffalo Bills, and a proud mother of a Texas A&M graduate with a degree in Chemistry. As the fall semester went on I knew I was in a really special place. I had chatted with one of the nurses at the nursing home, and she had showed me videos of the older people having a dance party. I was quite shocked to say the least. My preassumption about the old people was that they were basically “boring,” however they acted like they were in their younger ages. One of the funniest things that happened at the nursing home is when the older people decided to tell little bit of adult jokes. Their dirty jokes actually took me a while to realize that they were being a little mischievous. I did not mind though, it was pretty funny and it made me realized that they had the mindset of a college student. The older people knew that they were climbing up in age, however they were young in their eyes. What I learned from the nursing home is that those special homes are not a terrible place to end up. If you live your life to the fullest then you will be able to enjoy your time by relaxing, reflecting, and still causing a little bit of trouble. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the nursing home was one of the most fun places to go in College Station-Bryan area.
Another one of my favorite stories came from an older couple in the nursing home. They were a very little, quiet couple named Mr. and Mrs. Yawn. Mr. Yawn would like to finish his wife sentences and tell the stories while she just nodded and agreed with what he said. Mrs. Yawn had told me that she met her husband after her divorce. I joked around with the Mrs. Yawn that she was a “cougar” because her husband was a few years younger than her. It was obvious that the couple was in love. They really seemed to care about each other. I had asked them what their secret to a successful marriage was and they talked about each other as their best friend. By looking at this couple, I was not inspired to run out and go find a boyfriend however it made me realize that you can care for someone for the long haul. All the relationships I have now I want them to last for a long time. There is a difference between wanting a relationship to last and working for it. The older couple inspired me to connect to family members I have lost touch with over the years and keep in contact with the people who are currently in my life now. Since I have been in college I have slowly lost contact with my immediate family from back home, but I had made it a goal to at least call them twice a week and go see them once during the school semester. I also have been faulty about returning to the nursing home. Due to time conflicts with school I have been unable to attend the nursing home. I will work on going to the home at least twice a month because the elders in the nursing home should not always come second to my schooling. I really do appreciate what they have done for me. The relationships that I have now mean a lot to me and I do not want to lose them due to the lack of commitment.
The whole nursing home experience was something that will always hold a special place for me. I met people that are one of a kind and truly are irreplaceable. I absolutely loved my time at the home and I hope to give back either in my time or in donations. I would encourage almost every person to go visit a nursing home and hopefully have the experiences that I had.
Written Spring of 2014