LIFE ElderCare volunteer brings joy to residents of group care home.

A rapidly growing number of older men and women are finding themselves isolated and alone. In many cases this occurs because family members move away to take jobs in other cities, or long time friends stop driving because of illness or safety issues.

LIFE ElderCare’s Friendly Visitors program matches frail, isolated seniors with volunteers that provide companionship through weekly visits, phone calls and outings.  Currently 140 seniors are matched with caring volunteers. This program gives older adults the chance to share their knowledge and experience with people of all ages and backgrounds.  Since 1985, this program has helped thousands of people find stimulating companionship as well as life long friends.

Homa Clifford is a Friendly Visitor who is currently bringing joy to several people at the Treasure Care Home, located in the Warm Springs area of Fremont.  Most of the residents at this Board and Care facility suffer from dementia, Alzheimer’s or have had debilitating strokes.

Originally from Afghanistan, Homa came to the US in 1979 and has been working as a realtor for the past 18 years.  With her daughter now in college, she is able to act on her desire to give back to her community by volunteering.  She believes that anything a person can do for the city they live in is great. In addition to volunteering for LIFE ElderCare, Homa also volunteers for Bay Area Women Against Rape.

“I can have a hard day but when I come here to visit, there are smiles and people who can make me laugh,” she says.  “We either walk or play games, or we talk about their past and their families.  I share photos of my family and my dog with them, but most of them forget my name.  Keith, who suffers from Alzheimer’s, was a pharmacist and is still very good with numbers.  I sometimes ask him about different medications and he is able to help me.”

Maria, who has been living in the home for the past year, says, “I love Homa’s visits, she is so sweet, we all look forward to seeing her.”

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Tribute to Meals on Wheels volunteer driver, Conrad Walla

Conrad Walla came to LIFE ElderCare to volunteer as a Meals on Wheels driver in March of 1993.  His enthusiasm and sense of caring for Tri-City seniors never waned throughout his many years of service. And he always looked out for the organization in trying to find good people just like himself to join as MOW volunteer drivers.  We lost our good friend and treasured former MOW driver on July 29, 2011.  He was 79 years and 11 months old.  He will forever remain in our hearts, however, as we focus on all he left behind rather than on what was taken away on that Friday.

Conrad was our Monday driver and his ever energetic bounce was that special spark to get the week rolling for the MOW staff.  He befriended all the other volunteers who came to deliver on that day and his occasional visits to the office were day brighteners on even the sunniest of afternoons.

In 1997, Conrad wrote a poem, entitled “It’s More Than Just A Meal,” which hangs on the LIFE ElderCare office wall. Picture if you can, a tall, lanky man wearing a cap and colorful scarf around his neck and make believe you are joining him in the delivery of meals to Tri-City seniors.

It’s More than Just A Meal

They stand and peek at the window, curtain sometimes aside,
or they listen for the knock or doorbell, as they wait patiently inside.

They smile, a big one, give a greeting both genuine and real.
What a privilege for me to deliver them a hot, nutritious meal!

Their wants are not many, yet attention is indeed a plus;
we learn from their humility, a big example for us.

Their concern for the many volunteer drivers is something we all feel,
as is the thanks they shower on us when delivering that daily meal.

Their gracious words, their happy smiles all help us with our goals.
A touch, a hug, a twinkle in their eyes, are all fuel to fill our souls.

By giving of ourselves, there could be no greater appeal,
than simply bringing food to doors, as it’s more than just a meal.

The reasons for deliveries are many and we know when it’s good,
that some more than others need the contact more than food.

For the nourishment from caring is a “Godsend” they reveal;
and that makes our day more special each time we deliver a meal.

We can’t linger very long or talk at each stop along the way,
but always try to manage the deliveries and regulate the stay.

For time is of the essence and yet we try so carefully to steal,
a little longer at each home when delivering that hot, nutritious meal.

Our duty comes just once a week for many though it’s known,
that some dedicated volunteers do more by substituting all over town.

And when they’re complimented for their deed, they shrug, saying, ‘No big deal,’ for we know the tender spots within our hearts are warmer when delivering that meal.

Conrad Walla – 1997

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Spring flowers bring cheer to homebound seniors

Tammy Duran and Barbara Emge

On April 18, our Meals On Wheels drivers made a special delivery of bright, colorful lilies to all of our MOW clients along with their daily meal.  The flowers were donated by South Bay Community Church and purchased with a generous store discount from Lowe’s.

MOW volunteers Rob and Gig Ingebretson coordinated the effort. This was the third year the South Bay Community Church has purchased the flowers to bring Easter cheer to our Meals On Wheels participants.  Rob’s buddy, Ned Rendell and MOW volunteer Charlie Dickinson helped load the lilies and drive them to the MOW office for delivery.

The seniors were very excited to receive their daily meal with cheerful flowers – and many of the volunteers told me how much pleasure it gave them to bring joy and a smile to the people they help. LIFE ElderCare is blessed to have wonderful volunteers that not only deliver meals but who also truly care about the frail, homebound older people in our community.

Tammy Duran, Meals On Wheels Volunteer Coordinator

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Hard times for some Meals On Wheels participants.

Victoria, 57, has heart problems and a history of strokes.  After many years of not having anyone to help, she now has a social worker that referred her to Meals On Wheels. She and her partner are currently living in one room at a motel in Fremont. The money they live on is less than a month’s rent at the motel.  When I asked her how they meet expenses each month she replied, “Sometimes, we have to pay for our room one day at a time.”

She is so grateful to be receiving Meals On Wheels.

Notes from the Field
Barbara Proctor, Meals On Wheels Assessment Coordinator

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Have a healthy heart!

February is American Heart Month.  Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of disability.  The most common heart disease in the United States is coronary heart disease, which often appears as a heart attack. In 2010, an estimated 785,000 Americans had a new coronary attack, and about 470,000 had a recurrent attack. About every 25 seconds, an American will have a coronary event, and about one every minute will die from one.

LIFE ElderCare’s Meals On Wheels program helps seniors learn about heart healthy eating by including nutrition tips and information on the back of every monthly MOW menu. This month we featured information about diseases and conditions that put the heart at risk and the signs and symptoms of a heart attack.  (To learn more about heart disease, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (CDC) website).

Sometimes seniors already know about these signs and symptoms because they learned about them the hard way — by dealing with the disease itself.  One gentleman in his 80’s, who recently experienced heart failure and hospitalization, called to tell me that he recognized that his own nurse, while visiting him at his home, had symptoms of a heart attack and he called 911 for her.

You never know when you might be called upon to save a life.

Barbara Emge
Meals On Wheels Coordinator

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One very special volunteer uses her quilting talent to help us stand out at community events.

LIFE ElderCare has many wonderful volunteers that help us serve homebound seniors.  Most volunteers contribute their time to one of our four service programs, Meals On Wheels, Friendly Visitors, Fall Prevention and VIP Rides.  As the Outreach Coordinator, my job is to go out into the community to share information about our services and volunteer needs.

Quilted Table Top Banner by Patricia Runion

One very special volunteer thought our table needed to better represent the organization.  She noticed that the LIFE ElderCare logo was a quilt, and quilting happens to be her passion.  She used her artistic quilting talent to replicate our LIFE ElderCare logo and make a wonderful table quilt to draw attention to us at community events.  What better way to showcase the warmth and care we have for homebound seniors than to have our own hand-made table quilt adorn our table.  That very special volunteer is my mother, Patricia Runion.

Tammy Duran
Outreach Coordinator

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Meals On Wheels drivers bring sunshine into the life of a frail, homebound senior.

I have been doing in-home assessments on our Meals On Wheels clients for the past 11 years.  During this time I have found that the most common health problems older Tri-City residents suffer from are arthritis, heart conditions and loneliness.  Because of their health problems, many of our clients find it hard to shop and prepare their own meals.  While their medical needs are being taken care of by their physician, they often have no one to help them with the basic activities of daily living.

Recently, I did an assessment on a 74-year-old lady who is riddled with bone cancer and has macular degeneration. As we sat and talked she told me how grateful she is that the volunteers show up daily with her food and that they take the time to talk with her.  She says, “Meals On Wheels drivers are my sunshine.”

This is what volunteering is all about!

Barb Proctor
Meals On Wheels Coordinator

 

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Two of our Meals On Wheels volunteers, Larry and Gary, provide essential back up for our regular delivery driver.

LIFE ElderCare is one of the few Meals On Wheels organizations that rely entirely on volunteers to deliver meals to seniors.  We do, however, have one paid driver, Bob, who picks up approximately 350 meals, Monday through Friday from the kitchen at Valley Care Hospital in Livermore.

Bob is able to take vacation time without worry because he knows the meal delivery will be in good hands with Larry and Gary, two committed volunteers who are fully trained to provide back up when he is gone. They are also on hand to assist Bob on Thursdays and Fridays when an extra 100+ frozen meals are included for weekends and holidays.

These two volunteers alternate the days that they ride along with Bob to Livermore, a thirty-minute drive from the LIFE ElderCare office. The landscape is awesome as they travel along the 680 Freeway and Highway 84.  Niles Canyon is another scenic route used if traffic is heavy.  Without fail the meals are delivered in a timely manner and only rarely is there a major delay.

After driving into the parking lot today, Larry and Gary were asked if there were any challenges in picking up the meals without Bob this past week while he was on vacation. Their reply was a nonchalant no. They have been assisting for so long it has become second nature to them.  Larry started delivering meals in June of 2007 and Gary has been a driver since July 2008.  Both of them are retired.

After unloading the meals from the truck into the parking lot, these two fellows then go on to deliver meals directly to seniors on their regular MOW routes.  It is only through committed volunteers like Larry and Gary that we can provide the kind of services that frail, homebound seniors so desperately need.

Barbara Emge
Meals On Wheels Coordinator

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Mom and kids sign up to deliver Meals On Wheels

Every time I see my kids playing video games I picture dying brain cells, degenerating muscles and diminishing attention spans. What mom wouldn’t be concerned? Besides, spending endless hours in a virtual world is not my idea of a productive summer.

For some time I had been considering getting my family involved in community volunteer work. As the nightmarish thoughts of dying brain and muscle flash through my mind, I decide that now is the time for all good moms and kids to come to the aid of their community.

Momentarily siding with the enemy, I turn on the computer and search the Internet for volunteer opportunities in our city. Information on the LIFE Eldercare Meals On Wheels program in Fremont comes up.

I mention Meals On Wheels to my teenage son and daughter as they sit engaged in virtual world activities, eyes glued to the screen.

“Whadya say, Mom? Males on whales?”

“I said Meals On Wheels!”

“Yeah, Mom. Whatever.”

I tell them we are signing up to deliver meals to homebound seniors. They stop.

They eye me as if my brain is mealy and wheelie. My son perks up, “Can I have extra hours playing video games if I do this?” I mutter something about dying brain cells and decide it’s time to take the game controller and exert some mom control instead.

Read the full article by Julie Chung “Real Life: Family discovers community service offers rich rewards,” published on August 24, 2010, Inside Bay Area.com.

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LIFE ElderCare’s VIP Rides enables a new kind of independence for frail, elderly seniors.

Helen, 89, was reluctant to ask for help as she has been an independent woman for most of her life.  Ten years ago she moved to Fremont from Ohio, at her son’s request.  She had wanted to stay rooted in Ohio but the weather and her medical condition made it difficult to continue living on her own.

She called LIFE ElderCare’s VIP Rides because her worsening eyesight had made it impossible to shop and get to medical appointments.  At first she was hesitant; after making her first VIP Rides request she called back later and wanted to cancel.  I coached her into giving it a try as she needed to get to an important doctor appointment.

After completing her first ride she called and thanked me for the wonderful service. She appreciated the volunteer’s helpfulness and said that she felt like she had made a new friend by the end of the trip.  Helen has booked two more rides and is eager to continue using this service as a safe and easy way to get around town.

VIP Rides is available at no charge to Tri-City residents, age 60 and older.  The program is funded by an Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority Measure B Gap Grant.

Lori Vogel
VIP Rides Program Coordinator

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