This past weekend, I began my commitment towards volunteering at a local assisted living facility in order to get a better grasp on the effects of old age cognitively and physically, as well as learn an introduction to geriatric care firsthand. I entered the facility with a general idea of what to expect, but as with any other new experience, I faced some challenges. One of the challenges I came across included knowing when and where my assistance was needed; in some instances, there were activities that the residents would prefer to do on their own, so I needed to pick up subtle signals that specified if they were actions that they preferred to do independently or required help with. For instance, it wasn’t until I had left the table that one of the residents requested that I help her stand; I had been so preoccupied with trying not to hover that I had forgotten that a caretaker had helped her with the same thing earlier that day. Therefore, I learned to be more mindful of the environment and resident-specific necessities as I continued to work. I was also tasked with brainstorming activities that would be within the residents’ range of ability while still being engaging and original, and I wouldn’t have been able to plan these activities had I not seen the seniors’ physical capabilities with my own eyes. The type of struggles that I saw them face were much more severe than I had anticipated, and that has motivated me further research about the causes of frailty in these individuals. Most importantly, through smaller activities --such as reading articles or solving puzzles-- I learned the most fundamental requirement of working with elderly residents was to have patience and compassion. It is the aging process that has stripped them of some of their cognitive or physical abilities, but just like myself they are doing their best to make their time here as fulfilling as possible. Therefore, I will do my best to become a positive addition to their lives.
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