Donating your time

dejolane · May 17, 2013

I was thinking about going to the animal shelter to spend some time with the animals or to read at the nursing home and just sit to talk with the elderly.

I was wondering if you would consider doing any work like this ?

blueyedgirl5946 · May 17, 2013

When I go to the pet store, I always visit the cats. I go once a month with a group of friends to the local nursing home. We play guitars and sing for the old folks there. They love it and sing along with us.

dejolane · May 17, 2013

blueyedgirl5946 said:
When I go to the pet store, I always visit the cats. I go once a month with a group of friends to the local nursing home. We play guitars and sing for the old folks there. They love it and sing along with us.

It is important to those in a nursing home who don't have anyone visiting them. Great job.

swampwitch · May 18, 2013

Just don't visit my mother in the nursing home - she'll be super-sweet one moment, then screaming inappropriate sexual and other comments at you the next, might throw her food tray at you, etc. She's been diagnosed with BPD with narcissistic tendencies, and is on 3 anti-psychotics at the moment. (If you are wondering, yes my childhood was Hell.)

I'm not trying to discourage anyone from visiting anybody, just sayin' be aware.

I volunteered at my daughter's elementary school office for 5 years which I really enjoyed, also spent a difficult year working with severely autistic children (with violent tendencies) which was required for my degree at the time.

denice · May 18, 2013

SwampWitch said:
Just don't visit my mother in the nursing home - she'll be super-sweet one moment, then screaming inappropriate sexual and other comments at you the next, might throw her food tray at you, etc. She's been diagnosed with BPD with narcissistic tendencies, and is on 3 anti-psychotics at the moment. (If you are wondering, yes my childhood was Hell.)

I'm not trying to discourage anyone from visiting anybody, just sayin' be aware.

I volunteered at my daughter's elementary school office for 5 years which I really enjoyed, also spent a difficult year working with severely autistic children (with violent tendencies) which was required for my degree at the time.

My first full time job was in a nursing home and one of the women was like this. I have no idea what she was like when she was younger. The first time I worked with her she was so sweet. The next day she was the complete opposite. The other people that worked that section warned me about her and I thought they were exaggerating until I seen her opposite side myself.

swampwitch · May 20, 2013

Denice said:
SwampWitch said:

Just don't visit my mother in the nursing home - she'll be super-sweet one moment, then screaming inappropriate sexual and other comments at you the next, might throw her food tray at you, etc. She's been diagnosed with BPD with narcissistic tendencies, and is on 3 anti-psychotics at the moment. (If you are wondering, yes my childhood was Hell.)

I'm not trying to discourage anyone from visiting anybody, just sayin' be aware.

I volunteered at my daughter's elementary school office for 5 years which I really enjoyed, also spent a difficult year working with severely autistic children (with violent tendencies) which was required for my degree at the time.

Click to expand...

My first full time job was in a nursing home and one of the women was like this. I have no idea what she was like when she was younger. ...

In my experience, people like this are the same when they are younger, they just hide it a lot better from most people. My mother (and father) were well-respected in the community - the abuse from my mother only came out at home and to the outside world she seemed like a nice lady.

It seems my mother's able to "filter" her behavior less and less with old age (she's 87) so now she is abusive to everyone.

blueyedgirl5946 · May 20, 2013

Sometimes things happen to older people that change their behavior. They can get dementia. My dad was always a very sweet man, never heard him raise his voice or say a curse word. He raised the three of us girls with the help of his parents. So he had some reasons to have an attitude. But he was laid back and the best Dad ever. When he was in his eighties, he began having some mini strokes that changed his behavior. It was sad.

barbb · May 20, 2013

Barb that is so nice that you do that at the nursing home! It is such a good way to connect with older people too, where they might not remember a lot of things but will certainly remember a song :-).

I volunteer at an adoption group and it is a great experience. The kitties are starved for attention and even if you are changing their water and bedding and feeding them, they really need that. You as a volunteer can make the difference between their cage and bedding having litter spilled all over it and in their water, versus you taking the time to make their environment clean and soft and welcoming. Also they so much love you playing with them, talking to them, and making them feel special. Even tho their cage may be small, just having them chase a string for a short while will make them feel normal again and will take their mind off the fact that they are not in a home.

The thing that is most touching is when you are petting one of the kitties and talking to them in a soft voice, how they close their eyes and relax their bodies, curl up or stretch and give a big sigh, or start purring. They forget for a short time that they are in a cage and you help them remember that there are still people who love them and they still have hope for a forever home.

blueyedgirl5946 · May 21, 2013

BarbB said:
Barb that is so nice that you do that at the nursing home! It is such a good way to connect with older people too, where they might not remember a lot of things but will certainly remember a song :-).

I volunteer at an adoption group and it is a great experience. The kitties are starved for attention and even if you are changing their water and bedding and feeding them, they really need that. You as a volunteer can make the difference between their cage and bedding having litter spilled all over it and in their water, versus you taking the time to make their environment clean and soft and welcoming. Also they so much love you playing with them, talking to them, and making them feel special. Even tho their cage may be small, just having them chase a string for a short while will make them feel normal again and will take their mind off the fact that they are not in a home.

The thing that is most touching is when you are petting one of the kitties and talking to them in a soft voice, how they close their eyes and relax their bodies, curl up or stretch and give a big sigh, or start purring. They forget for a short time that they are in a cage and you help them remember that there are still people who love them and they still have hope for a forever home.

The people at the nursing home are a very forgiving audience. They just love for us to come and could care less if somebody hits a wrong note on the guitar or singing. It blesses me every time i go.
I would love helping out with cats somewhere. I have thought when I don't have cats anymore, I might offer to foster until PAWS can find a home for them.

Donating your time

dejolane

TCS Member

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blueyedgirl5946

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dejolane

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Thread starter

swampwitch

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denice

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swampwitch

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blueyedgirl5946

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barbb

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blueyedgirl5946

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