so I’m gonna be talking a little bit
today about why goodness is such a good
thing so these people in this wonderful
picture are the staff of a Alzheimer’s
and mensches day service called be our
guest Elvis does not work with us for
obvious reasons unfortunately but for
two hours of my school day four days a
week I spend time with these people and
the guests that I’ve now come to know
everyone’s name so a little bit about
the program itself is that we’re doing
daily activities with these guests every
day so most of the time we’re just
playing games and we’re we get any type
of cognitive stimulation going so I’ll
very common and popular favorite is
Bunco which is a dice game where you’re
looking for numbers to get points I get
a little too competitive
during this which is a little awkward
but at the same time we’re also playing
jeopardy any type of word games anything
to kind of keep them remembering the
same topic over and over again two or
three times a week we have music come in
and perform for them it’s nothing really
pop-culture like Khalid or anything that
I can really enjoy but older country
really pleases them and it’s an
environment and culture that they all
share so they really enjoy that and I
think one of the most valuable things
that’s created there every single day is
the environment that the guests make
themselves so as you can see these
people are just the most loving group of
elderly I guess you could say that I’ve
ever met they are a bunch of different
kinds of personalities that come
together over something they don’t even
know that they really have most of the
time and I actually like to say that
they’ve forgotten how to be mean they’re
always giving compliments in saying
thank you for all these things that
these people do for them and they’re
just genuinely the most caring group
that I’ve ever met in society at least
and a really good example of this is
when I was actually getting quotes for
this talk one of our one of my favorite
don’t tell anybody else that book one of
my favorite gas uh was saying that his
best advice he could give me is that he
loves me and that he loves everyone here
and so that was just that just kind of
shows you the kind of attitude that they
have towards people and towards others
and that little things don’t really
matter for them it’s just kindness that
matters so back to the actual program
they have larger events that happen
maybe like once a month or so you can
see in these pictures we had a petting
zoo come in in their own backyard
which was really sweet they got to you
ride a pony and cart they got to play
with all of the little animals and all
of that stuff but I think what was
really cool for me that day was I
actually got to interact with their
families which I don’t actually meet
their families or their caregivers that
often I don’t speak to them so being
able to learn more about them was
something that was really valuable and
important for me because I actually I
only see their daily habits and what
they do when they’re just sitting in a
comfortable environment and hearing
about their past and everything was
really amazing we also had Elvis
Remembrance week which was something
really fun they got to wear their
coolest shades and listen to us sing
along to his music we even had a cutout
for him that got dressed for Halloween
and I think is still wearing a wig but
it was again that common culture that
they got to share together that was
really amazing so we even have like
sitter size which is an hour of exercise
in a chair which is really awesome I
love just sitting and not having to move
that much but getting back to that
culture one of the staff members I had
even said to me that we make abnormal
people feel normal even if it’s just for
a couple of hours and that was probably
the most stunning thing that I had heard
since I started volunteering there
because I realized how true it was and I
realized that I hadn’t noticed that I
hadn’t noticed that they were sick and
that they couldn’t remember things that
much
in fact I used to be very uncomfortable
sharing their I used to just kind of sit
by myself
and not really volunteer don’t tell my
teacher that but he once I actually
started sharing and I think I felt the
point where these so-called like
abnormal people started remembering my
name and remembering who I was and what
I do there and why I was there that was
that moment where I just felt like oh my
gosh I’m actually having an impact on
people like I’m actually doing something
that they remember which isn’t very
common for them so I think that this
quote was probably the most important
thing I had learned through my work
there mainly because when these like
group of people returns to society they
don’t usually they almost get pitied
they almost like a lot of people look
down upon Alzheimer’s or dementia
because they get lost easy or they don’t
remember their wife’s name all the time
and I think that being in this
environment everyday most of them come
everyday really just shows them that
there isn’t that stigma and that there
isn’t that kind of environment that
they’re living and they don’t have that
diagnosis or that label when they come
there so to speak and you don’t really
notice when they’re sick or when they
forget something so seeing that attitude
also really impacted me because I
started to notice that again that
kindness that they gave to me and
started remembering me and asking about
my life was something that I didn’t
really have that much of in my life and
so that started to change how I viewed
the world around me which was something
so amazing just because I felt that I
had an impact on them but they also had
an impact on me it was a two-way
relationship so some things that I
specifically do there I’m mainly I’m not
gonna lie just play games with them most
of the time I’m leading the games so I
do have a little bit of a responsibility
but anytime that we’re like the summer I
worked in a restaurant
and I made repair floats for everyone
which I regretted because I was covered
in soda and ice cream but they loved it
so that was nice this is the only
picture you will see of me doing any
kind of dishes I did it once so I felt I
need to put that in there but running
exercise sometimes with them is
something that I can do but I think
again the most important aspect that I
can bring to this group of people and I
didn’t realize it until I had that
moment where I realized that I was
impacting them but the most important
thing I brought to be our guest was my
energy I’m obviously quite younger than
most of them so I have the ability to
jump around and get excited in different
ways than they do I can be loud and make
jokes with them and entertain them even
if I am just kind of like the community
comedian of the group but you know it
still it entertains them and it kind of
shows them that teenagers don’t have
that stigma that I mentioned they don’t
have that belief that they’re just
cranky old people that forget things
like it shows them that I actually began
to care about them I became way more
comfortable with myself once I kept
going there and kept sharing a little
bit more and now like I tell them about
my school day I tell them about my work
I tell them about this event I tell them
everything they’re a great group to
share things with and so not only did
that impact had like come on me but even
another volunteer had told me that
coming to this program helps her as much
as it helps the guess because this is
just another example of the feel good do
good effect where once you are doing
something good for other people you
start to feel better about yourself so
and it works in Reverse as well where
you’re feeling good about yourself
you’re going to be more inclined to do
something and it’s just this endless
cycle and all of this shows in pretty
much anybody who comes to this program
anybody who just volunteers for maybe a
couple weeks it shows that you really
see the impact that it has on that
community of people and on the people
who are volunteering themselves or even
the one
that work there so this just shows that
people begin to care about these guests
and they really just care about coming
there and donating even an hour of their
time because it changed it definitely
changed my attitude about how I viewed
the world and how I viewed that little
things don’t really matter and it
basically the feel good do good effect
is something that I would encourage
everybody to take part in so it’s not
even on a larger scale of volunteering
it’s per se that’s something that again
does take a little bit time a bit of
time to get comfortable with but holding
doors open for people and having good
conversations is also extremely valuable
to our community especially and once you
begin to feel more adventurous and more
comfortable with yourself you really
have to go out there and like make an
impact because that’s what’s going to
last and that’s that
today about why goodness is such a good
thing so these people in this wonderful
picture are the staff of a Alzheimer’s
and mensches day service called be our
guest Elvis does not work with us for
obvious reasons unfortunately but for
two hours of my school day four days a
week I spend time with these people and
the guests that I’ve now come to know
everyone’s name so a little bit about
the program itself is that we’re doing
daily activities with these guests every
day so most of the time we’re just
playing games and we’re we get any type
of cognitive stimulation going so I’ll
very common and popular favorite is
Bunco which is a dice game where you’re
looking for numbers to get points I get
a little too competitive
during this which is a little awkward
but at the same time we’re also playing
jeopardy any type of word games anything
to kind of keep them remembering the
same topic over and over again two or
three times a week we have music come in
and perform for them it’s nothing really
pop-culture like Khalid or anything that
I can really enjoy but older country
really pleases them and it’s an
environment and culture that they all
share so they really enjoy that and I
think one of the most valuable things
that’s created there every single day is
the environment that the guests make
themselves so as you can see these
people are just the most loving group of
elderly I guess you could say that I’ve
ever met they are a bunch of different
kinds of personalities that come
together over something they don’t even
know that they really have most of the
time and I actually like to say that
they’ve forgotten how to be mean they’re
always giving compliments in saying
thank you for all these things that
these people do for them and they’re
just genuinely the most caring group
that I’ve ever met in society at least
and a really good example of this is
when I was actually getting quotes for
this talk one of our one of my favorite
don’t tell anybody else that book one of
my favorite gas uh was saying that his
best advice he could give me is that he
loves me and that he loves everyone here
and so that was just that just kind of
shows you the kind of attitude that they
have towards people and towards others
and that little things don’t really
matter for them it’s just kindness that
matters so back to the actual program
they have larger events that happen
maybe like once a month or so you can
see in these pictures we had a petting
zoo come in in their own backyard
which was really sweet they got to you
ride a pony and cart they got to play
with all of the little animals and all
of that stuff but I think what was
really cool for me that day was I
actually got to interact with their
families which I don’t actually meet
their families or their caregivers that
often I don’t speak to them so being
able to learn more about them was
something that was really valuable and
important for me because I actually I
only see their daily habits and what
they do when they’re just sitting in a
comfortable environment and hearing
about their past and everything was
really amazing we also had Elvis
Remembrance week which was something
really fun they got to wear their
coolest shades and listen to us sing
along to his music we even had a cutout
for him that got dressed for Halloween
and I think is still wearing a wig but
it was again that common culture that
they got to share together that was
really amazing so we even have like
sitter size which is an hour of exercise
in a chair which is really awesome I
love just sitting and not having to move
that much but getting back to that
culture one of the staff members I had
even said to me that we make abnormal
people feel normal even if it’s just for
a couple of hours and that was probably
the most stunning thing that I had heard
since I started volunteering there
because I realized how true it was and I
realized that I hadn’t noticed that I
hadn’t noticed that they were sick and
that they couldn’t remember things that
much
in fact I used to be very uncomfortable
sharing their I used to just kind of sit
by myself
and not really volunteer don’t tell my
teacher that but he once I actually
started sharing and I think I felt the
point where these so-called like
abnormal people started remembering my
name and remembering who I was and what
I do there and why I was there that was
that moment where I just felt like oh my
gosh I’m actually having an impact on
people like I’m actually doing something
that they remember which isn’t very
common for them so I think that this
quote was probably the most important
thing I had learned through my work
there mainly because when these like
group of people returns to society they
don’t usually they almost get pitied
they almost like a lot of people look
down upon Alzheimer’s or dementia
because they get lost easy or they don’t
remember their wife’s name all the time
and I think that being in this
environment everyday most of them come
everyday really just shows them that
there isn’t that stigma and that there
isn’t that kind of environment that
they’re living and they don’t have that
diagnosis or that label when they come
there so to speak and you don’t really
notice when they’re sick or when they
forget something so seeing that attitude
also really impacted me because I
started to notice that again that
kindness that they gave to me and
started remembering me and asking about
my life was something that I didn’t
really have that much of in my life and
so that started to change how I viewed
the world around me which was something
so amazing just because I felt that I
had an impact on them but they also had
an impact on me it was a two-way
relationship so some things that I
specifically do there I’m mainly I’m not
gonna lie just play games with them most
of the time I’m leading the games so I
do have a little bit of a responsibility
but anytime that we’re like the summer I
worked in a restaurant
and I made repair floats for everyone
which I regretted because I was covered
in soda and ice cream but they loved it
so that was nice this is the only
picture you will see of me doing any
kind of dishes I did it once so I felt I
need to put that in there but running
exercise sometimes with them is
something that I can do but I think
again the most important aspect that I
can bring to this group of people and I
didn’t realize it until I had that
moment where I realized that I was
impacting them but the most important
thing I brought to be our guest was my
energy I’m obviously quite younger than
most of them so I have the ability to
jump around and get excited in different
ways than they do I can be loud and make
jokes with them and entertain them even
if I am just kind of like the community
comedian of the group but you know it
still it entertains them and it kind of
shows them that teenagers don’t have
that stigma that I mentioned they don’t
have that belief that they’re just
cranky old people that forget things
like it shows them that I actually began
to care about them I became way more
comfortable with myself once I kept
going there and kept sharing a little
bit more and now like I tell them about
my school day I tell them about my work
I tell them about this event I tell them
everything they’re a great group to
share things with and so not only did
that impact had like come on me but even
another volunteer had told me that
coming to this program helps her as much
as it helps the guess because this is
just another example of the feel good do
good effect where once you are doing
something good for other people you
start to feel better about yourself so
and it works in Reverse as well where
you’re feeling good about yourself
you’re going to be more inclined to do
something and it’s just this endless
cycle and all of this shows in pretty
much anybody who comes to this program
anybody who just volunteers for maybe a
couple weeks it shows that you really
see the impact that it has on that
community of people and on the people
who are volunteering themselves or even
the one
that work there so this just shows that
people begin to care about these guests
and they really just care about coming
there and donating even an hour of their
time because it changed it definitely
changed my attitude about how I viewed
the world and how I viewed that little
things don’t really matter and it
basically the feel good do good effect
is something that I would encourage
everybody to take part in so it’s not
even on a larger scale of volunteering
it’s per se that’s something that again
does take a little bit time a bit of
time to get comfortable with but holding
doors open for people and having good
conversations is also extremely valuable
to our community especially and once you
begin to feel more adventurous and more
comfortable with yourself you really
have to go out there and like make an
impact because that’s what’s going to
last and that’s that
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