Students say experience is "rewarding."
Walking through the automatic door of The Laurels of Athens, Allie Barnes is greeted with open arms and a warm smile by resident Margaret Hudnell.
Barnes is a junior studying communication sciences disorders and the president of student organization Ages.
Ages’ members visit the Laurels nursing and rehabilitation home, 70 Columbus Circle, once or twice a week, forming bonds with the residents.
“I really like when these girls visit us, they’re really good to us,” Hudnell said. “They’re so nice to come here and give their time because we are here, I mean I’m here until the Lord takes me.”
Hudnell had a stroke in 2008 and was being taken care of by her husband until his passing in 2011 and has been at the Laurels since 2011.
Hudnell enjoys sharing stories about her life with the Ages' members. One story she likes sharing the most is that she used to work with Billy Milligan, who was a patient at the Athens Mental Health Center now known as The Ridges and had 24 different personalities.
The organization was started because there weren’t very many opportunities for undergraduates to get involved with older adults in the community. Students made this organization available for everyone to join.
When the members arrive at the Laurels they talk to the residents about their day while playing games that the residents choose. One of the games, Hedbanz, is so popular everyone drops what they’re doing to join.
Residents and activity coordinators at the Laurels throw a thank you party for the members at the end of every semester.
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Since Ages is a volunteer organization the Laurels residents don’t have to pay for anything, but members pay a fee of $9 a semester or $15 for the year. It’s a membership and members get a certificate if they work 10 hours, which is attending four meetings and volunteering 6 times.
“It offers everyone an opportunity, especially the speech undergrads (who) don’t have much practice with clients before (they) graduate,”said Nick Smrekar, first year graduate student studying speech and language pathology. “It gives you the opportunity to look and see who you want to work with, if you want to work with older adults or people with disabilities, it helps define what you want to do.”
Most members are nervous and intimidated when they start visiting, but then they start to become attached to these adults’ lives and before they know it they have a friend.
“I think I spent more time at the Laurels than I did in class my senior year; it was fun,” Smrekar said. “I never dreaded going — I always looked forward to it.”
Not only do residents enjoy having the members come the members enjoy going and spending time with the residents.
“I feel great after I go. I know sometimes we stress out about school and how much stuff we have to do but its an hour a week sometimes two,” Barnes said. “But it’s nice to go somewhere different and get your mind off of it and I think it’s more rewarding, I think they do more for me than I do for them.”
@annachristine38
ag836912@ohio.edu
