Quote:
Originally Posted by oldE
I volunteer as a musician at the care home where my MIL lives. Many folks there are unable to communicate much, but every one of them has a story. Many have no visitors. I try to reach out with music and am sometimes surprised by their requests or reactions to songs. My wife reads short stories weekly to a group and sometimes their stories take up most of the time.
I think of "Hello In There " every time I walk in the door.
Best
Les
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My wife volunteers and the local council on aging dance every Thursday. The same 3 piece band plays 50s and 60s music at every dance. They play for 5 to 8 PM for $25 each. I show up at 7:30 to help clean up, and I've been adopted the official photographer for the outfit. I photograph the prom, Valentine's Day dance, and other special dances.
After two years she is backing off the dances because she has gotten more personal with some of the folks she's met and puts more time into helping them. She is an ad hoc "medical advocate" and personal driver for 3 people now. She drives them to appointments and sits with them in the doctor's office. She makes sure they understand what the doc told them, makes sure they get their meds, and makes sure they take them properly. She also has regular phone calls with a guy who is in his late 80s. He lives lives alone and likes talking to her, but I think she's just keeping track of him and making sure he's OK. Sometimes he'll ask to speak to me. We BS for a little while but he eventually gets around to asking if it's OK that he talks to my wife.
We are two very different people. My wife loves the "old folks" but I just see what I hate about myself in them.