For Family Members
If you have a family member in a nursing home, these tips will help you support them most effectively.
Orientation Materials
Some material you'll definitely want to read before volunteering at a nursing home.
Jean and Florence
Back in May 2004, Steve Blay invited me to participate in the multi-site Bingo-A-Thon event. I have to admit that I was a little nervous about attending my first Friends event...
Allison and Annie
Annie and I first became friends over coloring books. Annie used to love to color, but she has severe arthritis, so when her hands got tired, she liked to have me finish her pictures...
Agnes and Tom
For the residents of nursing homes, the days are long and usually uneventful. Sitting in a wheelchair in the hallway watching food trays, staff and occasional visitors stream by is about as exciting as it gets on a typical day....
Ena and Sally
My first memory of participating with Friends Across the Ages was back when I was two or three years old. It was at one of the annual caroling parties Friends holds every year. We had finished singing, and...
Andrew, Kim, and Will
We have spent more than 10 years volunteering with Friends Across the Ages. These years have provided fun, friendships and sometimes sorrow. We have built many lasting bonds, as well as fleeting moments of joy...
Brooke and Maggie
My name is Brooke and I am a Friends Across the Ages volunteer at Signature Healthcare center. I began volunteering a year ago with my friend Kristina where we met other volunteers, Kim and Andrew...
The Cost of Efficiency
My Grandfather, whom I never met, was a doctor. A real old-fashioned one who treated whole families, like you’d see in a black-and-white movie. His name was Isidore Brill, but people called him “Doc”. Yes, he made house calls; even delivered babies, before they had specialists to do that. In his hometown of Champaign, Illinois, he was well known. And if you couldn’t afford to pay him, well, that was all right, you paid him when you could...
Al Lesesne and the Fire Tea
I encourage our volunteers to get outside their comfort zone, because that's where real growth can take place. I know for me, visiting the nursing home for the first time (18 years ago) was one of the biggest steps outside my comfort zone I ever took, and it changed my life forever. Getting out of your comfort zone can also be a big thrill. That's why people climb mountains and skydive. So what about our friends at the nursing home? Are they "too old" to get out of their comfort zone?