I’ve always enjoyed working with the elderly. In high school, I spent a lot of my time volunteering at nursing homes, and even though I visited a few different places, a little facility named Seneca Manor in West Seneca stole my heart. That’s why, when I learned that the McGuire Group, (Seneca Manor’s owners), was looking for an intern for their Journeys Palliative Care program, I jumped at the chance. They told me my roles would be to create programs for the residents to enjoy, volunteer recruitment, find different services to bring in to residents (e.g. therapy dogs), write newsletters, and also work with the residents directly to improve their quality of life by forming close relationships with them and their families. I was also told that the residents that I will be working with, although there is no guarantee, have on average 3-6 months to live. About 12-15 residents from each McGuire Group facility are chosen to be a part of the program (with their family’s permission) and it sets them up with “extra” care and attention in their last months. More activities and someone visiting each day are something to remind them they are not lost in the shuffle. Prior to this I had never worked specifically with “End-of-Life” patients, but I felt that I had enough experience with the elderly and that I was ready. To date, I’ve only had 2 full days of work so far but I am already enjoying it. I’ve done a lot of learning and behind-the-scenes stuff to get a better idea of what i’ll be doing for the rest of the semester. My first day, I met with one of my bosses, Laura, and she welcomed me with open arms and began to show me the ropes. She showed me different tactics they use to stimulate the residents’ senses, one way being a “sensory box.” This box is season/holiday themed and includes bright colored flowers, CDs with music they may recognize, different textured things for them to touch, scented potpourri, and even trivia and questions that you can use as a conversation starter. She also showed me a cart they have with similar items you can use with the residents. I also have the task of completing the final copy of the scrapbooks we make for the residents. Throughout their stay we ask residents questions about their lives from childhood to present and record their answers in a book, and when the resident passes, we give the book to their families to have as a keepsake. My job is to gather the answers, organize them, and record them neatly into the final edition. This past week, I helped with an activity program called “Supper Club” which brought 10 residents down to the activities room for dinner to have Chinese takeout instead of the regular dining hall food. Thus far, the only resident I’ve met is a 97-year old woman named Ana, and although I didn’t talk to her for a long time, I watched how Laura interacted with her. Although Ana wasn’t in a very talkative mood, it was obvious she liked Laura and they really cared for each other. I’m excited to be that person for someone very soon. Lately, people keep asking me where my internship is and what I do. And when I respond that I work with End-of-Life patients, their reaction is always the same look of concern/fear/sadness. And I always try to reply in the same way. I understand that my position is emotionally trying, and I’m most likely going to run into some situations that might flat out break my heart. However, I don’t like to focus on that. I feel honored that I can be the person to help make someone’s day a bit brighter, or a bit easier in the midst of what might be theirs and their family’s hardest days. And even though I know that I’m the one helping them, I think that it’s through situations like these that I might be able to learn so much from them.
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