Elderly Friends -- Utah State Students Help Out An Earlier Generation

Most of us don't have grandparents nearby that we can visit on a regular basis. But members of Friends of the Elderly, a club sponsored by the Val R. Christensen Service Center, have improvised by adopting local senior citizens.

About 25 students go and visit their elderly friends every week. The seniors live in Sunshine Terrace, Williamsburg Retirement Inn, Logan Nursing and Rehabilitation Center or their own homes.

"The students go and talk to them and read with them," said Brad Hales, the club's president. "I like to go and visit one-on-one. That's my favorite part of being in the club.

"I think there's a real need there. They sit in the nursing home all day and don't really do anything. We just listen to them talk about their family over and over, and they really like it."

Bryan Dayton, the recreational therapy director at Sunshine Terrace, said the individual relationships the students build with their elderly friends reach the residents of the home on a higher level than other activities do.

"In other types of activities, like caroling, it's not the same as if you take the time on a one-on-one basis to read or go on a walk," he said. "The students are able to become more of a friend or family member and interact on a different level. It's really a benefit to the residents."

During the holiday season, members of the club participated in Sub for Santa by wrapping presents for the Cache County Senior Citizen Center and singing "lots and lots" of Christmas carols, Hales said.

The club also helps the center by sponsoring or participating in various activities.

"Sometimes it's an activity that we have planned, and sometimes they plan an activity like a dance with treats and everything," said Mary Yancy, an employee of the senior center. "They call here and let us know that they're available, and we tell them what our activities are. Then they let us know what they can do to help us."

Yancy said the seniors who participate in the center's activities really appreciate when the Friends of the Elderly come.

"The seniors that are here always enjoy the young people to visit with, especially at the dances," she said. "They love dancing with them. It's something for the seniors to look forward to, and it's always a treat."

Dayton said, "The students help push them around in their wheelchairs and visit with them. The residents reminisce with them about when they danced when they were younger."

The 40 active club members try to do something with the elderly every week. They split their time between the terrace, the inn, the nursing center and the senior center, so they visit each about once a month, Hales said.

Club members are trying to start a new activity this semester called Sunday Singers, where they sing to the elderly every week, Hales said

"Sundays are usually not as busy as other days for students," he said. "Old folks like to be sung to, and as far as I can tell, students like to sing to them. So we're going to try and get this going every week."

"We have a music therapy program for the residents here, and music has been a big part of their lives in the past. They remember when they were young and went out caroling," he said. "They can interact with the students before and after. It's a great service that [the club members] do for the residents.

"The residents and us here sure appreciate the students. Them being here makes all the difference in the programs we run. As far as Friends of the Elderly and other volunteer groups, they really do a service for the residents."

"We always appreciate the efforts of people on campus to recognize the needs of seniors in the community," she said. "They have always been very helpful and are a good representation of their generation."

The club often gets a lot of new members at the beginning of the school year but is always looking for more students to join, Hales said.

"There's always a need, and there are a lot more elderly people who would like to be visited," he said.

To join or get more information about Friends of the Elderly, contact the service center, TSC, Room 332B.

By Katrina Brainard
Photo courtesy Friends of the Elderly