   |
Young at Heart: Volunteers play vital role for Adult Day Connection
It’s one o’clock in the afternoon and sophomore Brandi McKinley is playing Scrabble with 82-year-old Helen while sophomore Katie Hemmann walks around and chats with some of the other older adults who have just finished lunch and are relaxing or reading in their recliners. While this may sound like a normal day at a retirement community, McKinley and Hemmann, both health professions students, are actually volunteering at the Adult Day Connection in the School of Health Professions.
SHP med tech alumna Nancy Fay is a frequent volunteer at both Adult Day Connection sites. She brings beauty treatments for what the participants call “Spa Day.” Photos by Cheri Ghan and Carolyn Anderson.
The Adult Day Connection (ADC) is a place for older adults or those with injury or illness to come during the day to participate in games and activities, socialize, exercise with nursing supervision while their families are at work. The ADC relies heavily on volunteers from MU and the community to help at its two sites, Clark Hall on the MU campus and in the lower level of the mid Missouri chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association on Bluff Creek Drive.
Right now the two sites have about 50 student volunteers and 30 regular volunteers from the community, but they are always in need of more. “We couldn’t function without volunteers,” says activity coordinator Carolyn Anderson. “The student volunteers mean so much to us. They’re like a lifeline.”
Students not only help feed and move the people who need assistance, they also play games, lead an arts and crafts activity or help with the daily exercise. But for McKinley and Hemmann the best part of volunteering is the people who attend ADC.
“I enjoy talking to the people,” says Hemmann. “They have so many stories to tell and they are appreciative of people who will talk to them. It doesn’t feel like work at all.”
“They have a lot to teach and they should be respected,” says McKinley. “The ones I play games with are still kids at heart.”
ADC Director Amy Byergo says the adults look forward to coming to ADC. “They consider us a family,” says Byergo. “The staff-to-participant ratio is one to four so it allows us to be very person centered.”
The ADC prides itself on being different from a nursing home, and as soon as you walk in, the environment feels very home-like. The rooms are bright and sunny, recliners are spaced throughout, and there are many activities to keep the participants active.
“The ADC allows people to live as independently as possible for as long as possible,” says Byergo. “They stay engaged and stay active with their peers. We provide individualized care and cater to individual needs and interests.”
Working with the older adults has even changed the views Hemmann had of them. “I had stereotypes that were typical of most Americans,” says Hemmann. “That because they’re old they are not full of life. I thought it would be like a nursing home, but it’s not at all. We are all just people and we all just want people to talk to and listen to. The ADC fights the stereotype that the elderly are depressed and have nothing left to teach.”
By volunteering at ADC McKinley, a diagnostic medical ultrasound major, and Hemmann, a physical therapy major, are gaining experience with a population that they will work with in their field.
So if you’re looking to volunteer somewhere where you can step outside the box and get a unique experience, the Adult Day Connection could be just the place for you.
— Karen Hecksel
Related Links
Photo Gallery
Carolyn Anderson, ADC activities coordinator, works with 4-H student volunteers and ADC participants during a craft session.
Sinclair School of Nursing students often log volunteer hours at the Adult Day Connection. Sometimes they help participants make pie. Yum!
Page last updated on: August 25, 2009
| Contact us | MU Alert | MU Disability Resources
Copyright © 2008, 2009 — Curators of the University of Missouri, an equal opportunity/ affirmative action institution. DMCA and other copyright information. All rights reserved.