By Mark Harvey
Here we are in the latter part of March 2017. Have you stopped to consider what we’ve accomplished? Well, seriously:
We got through the November holidays and a cataclysmically contentious election, with or without giving thanks.
We managed to navigate Medicare Part D open enrollment and get through a presentable version of the December holidays, and can still identify most of the leftovers in the back of the freezer.
We got to a brand-new year and were writing “2017” on our checks by Jan. 2 — good job!
We got through Valentine’s Day without offending anyone, have addressed (or are now addressing) our taxes, and (unlike Caesar) have persisted through the Ides of March upright.
Congratulations. We have a right to be proud.
Now, before confronting a daunting April Fool’s Day, and while our collective endorphin “high” is still cranking, stop planning the garden long enough to contact Amber Garrotte at 360-986-0657, 800-801-0060 or garroaa1@dshs.wa.gov and tell her you want to be a volunteer for the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program. Quick — don’t think about it, just do it.
Now, a reasonable person might be asking: “What did I just do?” You just changed lives for the better. But you do deserve an explanation.
You’ve heard of nursing homes, right? Of course. Maybe you’ve heard of adult family homes or assisted living facilities? Well, whether you have or not, taken together, these are what we refer to as “residential facilities,” which are exactly what they sound like: Places where some folks need to go (often elders, but not always) because they need some level of care or assistance on a regular basis. And, unless you’re passing through a nursing home for rehab, these are places where you live full time.
And no matter how skilled and caring the staff and administrators are, or how lush the plants in the foyer seem to be, they can be scary places — not because they’re meant to be, but because of the reality of living there.
Think about it: You live there; and, to some degree (maybe a large degree), you are dependent upon the staff to help you with important and, sometimes, very personal stuff just to get through a day. And sure, there are other people around, but it can feel very … alone. And that can be scary, even to the toughest of us.
So, what if there were folks who came to see you just to visit with you? They don’t want anything from you, they’re not going to make you do anything and they’re not going to mess with your body. What then?
And what if these folks were willing and able to be on your “side” if something isn’t going well? Maybe it’s the quality of your care, or the food, or the rules, or how long it takes to get help when you really need it. What if there were folks like that?
Well, there are — and that’s what you volunteered to become when you contacted Amber. And you will change lives.
Yes, you’re going to have your background checked. You’d want that, if you were on the receiving end. And you’re going to get trained — a lot! And you’re going to be expected to actually go to facilities and interact with residents and staff, and get involved. And you won’t get paid for any of it. (Hey, look: If making a difference were easy, anybody could do it.)
And every time you do it, you’re going to be able to go home, look in a mirror and feel OK about yourself. That’s a gift that a lot of people don’t get.
But it’ll cost you: It’ll cost you time, energy and caring. And you’ll find a side of yourself you might not have realized was there. But it is.
Just look at what you’ve done so far. And you’re just getting warmed up.
Mark Harvey is the director of information and assistance for the Olympic Area Agency on Aging. He can be reached by email at harvemb@dshs.wa.gov; by phone at 360-532-0520 in Aberdeen, 360-942-2177 in Raymond, or 360-642-3634; or through Facebook at Olympic Area Agency on Aging-Information &Assistance.
