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Caring Hands Gives Area Seniors A Lift
Contra Costa Times
By Wendy Paulson
CORRESPONDENT
ANTIOCH - It happens every year at holiday time -- a noticeable surge of efforts to help those in need. Unselfish giving is as much a part of Christmas tradition as gift wrap and evergreen trees.
What's hard is keeping the wave of volunteerism flowing through the other 11 months of the year. In Contra Costa County, the Caring Hands volunteer program sponsored by the John Muir/Mt. Diablo Health System is among those helping the elderly long after the Yuletide flame goes out.
Each Caring Hands volunteer caregiver provides up to three hours a week of free, non-medical, in-home services that facilitate the daily lives of frail seniors and disabled adults over 50. Services include visits and phone calls, transportation, errands and shopping, letter writing, reading assistance, minor home repairs, yard work, household chores and respite care.
Caring Hands volunteers have a one-on-one relationship with a care receiver, which enables seniors who live alone to enjoy the benefits of companionship and also remain independent and safe in their homes for as long as possible.
"They need somebody to keep them from being isolated and withering away at home," said Volunteer Coordinator Linda White, noting that many elderly care receivers have been set back by calamities such as a broken hip, eyesight loss from glaucoma or macular degeneration and no longer being able to drive.
Others who benefit from Caring Hands include people recovering from major illnesses, surgery, accidents or strokes; seniors with no family nearby, those with chronic illness, bereaved seniors and those with frequent medical appointments. There also are respite care services that free up time for those who single-handedly provide round-the-clock health care to a spouse or household family member.
Caring Hands asks its volunteers for a commitment of one to three hours a week for six months, and the volunteer care provider is then assigned to one specific care receiver for that period. The program provides ongoing training for participants to better understand things such as Alzheimer's disease, dementia or the grief experienced with loss -- all common among the elderly population.
As more and more people live longer, there is an unprecedented growth in the number of seniors who live alone but need assistance in navigating vehicle-dependent (and pedestrian-unfriendly) suburbia.
Contra Costa County will reflect this trend, White said, noting that between 1990 and 2010, the number of 85-year-olds is projected to increase by 237 percent. Caring Hands currently has 180 volunteers and a waiting list of about 40 seniors who need help. The program helped 204 seniors in 2001. Volunteers can choose their schedules, the communities in which they serve and their preferred type of assistance, but they are badly needed in the fast-developing East County cities of Antioch, Brentwood and Pittsburg, White said.
"I have three care receivers because I can't say no, knowing that someone needs my help, and I wanted to give my time to people who are less fortunate than myself," said Antioch volunteer Ershel Hicks, who since February, has logged 150 hours with three seniors.
"As time goes by, I look forward to seeing my care receivers, and I can tell that they are very happy there is someone available to take them shopping or to the doctor," Hicks added. "If it weren't for Caring Hands, these people would not know when someone would be able to provide transportation for their needs or an enjoyable visit."
Raymond Langerot of Antioch is legally blind and said that having Hicks as his caretaker gives him peace of mind.
"I know the Caring Hands volunteer is there when I need him and I have a good friendship," Langerot said. "He is a good listener, and together, we work out and talk over any situation that may be on my mind. He is there when I need minor repairs."
The long-term nature of the one-on-one program also creates special bonds of friendship, White said.
One of the more recent touching tales even incorporated the holiday tradition of unselfish generosity, according to accounts by caregiver Shirley Bell and care receiver Lorine Lutz, 89, both of Antioch.
It started when Bell brought Lutz a small Christmas tree and little ornaments to put on it.
"She (Lutz) wanted to pay me, and I said, 'Of course not.'"
Lutz, born the same year as Bell's deceased mother, replied with the all-knowing voice of maternal wisdom, saying, "Never mind. I know what you need."
So when Lutz suddenly ran out of brown sugar and asked her caregiver to bring some more, Bell didn't give it a second thought. Then she walked into Lutz's kitchen and saw the counters covered with dozens of homemade cookies.
Lutz knew Bell would have a house full of guests during Christmas week, and saw not just an opportunity to thank her caregiver, but a way to help with the best gift of all -- one from a heart as sweet as a batch of homemade cookies.
If you are interested in learning about becoming a Caring Hands volunteer, click here.
(Posted December 1, 2002)