by Jennifer Bunn

Created on: November 10, 2008

My teenage daughter announced one day that she wanted to spend the summer volunteering at our local nursing home, where I am employed as a registered nurse. I was pleased that she showed an interest in pursuing such a worthwhile activity, but hesitant at the same time. After all, she had great difficulty making her bed. How would she handle the responsibility?

My daughter had had no previous experience interacting with the frail elderly. Sadly, her great-grandparents were no longer living, and her grandparents were still relatively young, fit, and active. I questioned her motives and learned that several of her friends were volunteering at the same time. I cautioned her that if she came to work as a volunteer, she would be expected to work and not visit with her friends. She was insistent that volunteering was something she badly wanted to do.

With the ground rules laid, I gave her my blessing. To my complete surprise, she loved it! She found the resident's stories fascinating and enjoyed feeling useful to them. She enjoyed reading aloud, talking them for walks, painting the lady's nails, fetching and carrying, playing Bingo, and singing. There were a few times when one of the residents afflicted with dementia would become verbally or physically aggressive towards others but, to my surprise, she handled such situations with dignity and a gentleness I was not aware she possessed. At the end of the summer, she found it hard to leave the residents and was very sad when I would later relate that one of her "favorites" had passed away.

Volunteering at the nursing home gave my daughter a sense of purpose and pride. I was told by others that she was a "natural" with the elderly clients. I am proud to report that she now has a paying position in a home for severely mentally and physically handicapped adults, and she is thriving. She hopes to enter the health care field after graduation in some capacity. She truly enjoys helping others, and the experience has helped her grow as a person, developing empathy for others and pride in herself.

I have never been so proud of my daughter as when I see her treat an elderly client with kindness and dignity, and I am truly grateful for the opportunity she was given to volunteer that summer. Had it not been for volunteering at the nursing home, she might not be as filled with purpose in pursuing her career goals as she is now.

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