Many of the seniors here see the world differently than I do because they lived in a different time where the world was also different. Many of them do things a certain way and I have learned how to create an activity that we both enjoy. I also learned how to be grateful for what I have. By interacting with the seniors here and listening to their life stories, I see how much society have changed. A lot of these changes are because the generations before us tried to make things better for the younger generation.
By participating in this program, I have also learned to be patient. Even though I am the volunteer, our visits here are not just about me. I have learned to go with the flow. Sometimes my senior may want to play cards. And sometimes they just want to talk. My favourite word to describe my role in the program is flexibility. There have been times when my senior has not wanted to do the activity that the group is doing so we end up playing another game or just talking. There also may be times when my senior is not there so I go with another group or another senior joins my group for the day. Most of the seniors just want someone to talk to, someone to play games with and someone to interact with. They just want to be appreciated and be told that they are important for no other reason than they are a living, breathing human being. They want to know that they have not been forgotten.
linkinggenerations.ca 