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 The nice young woman next door was worried about her 77 year-old neighbor, George. She had seen him in the hall and he looked terrible—no shoes, dirty shirt inside out. He had been wearing the same clothes for a week, and she suspected he was sleeping in them.
The woman knew George had no one to check on him. She called United Way of the Midlands, who referred her to Rob, the geriatric counselor at Heartland Family Service. Rob offered to stop by and check on George.
Rob knocked on George’s door the next day. Sure enough, George was in the same clothes the neighbor had described. He did not look well – his eyes were dark, his hair was uncut and he seemed distracted. The apartment had a strong odor.
Rob quickly evaluated George’s condition. He had no family in town and no friends at all. He rarely left the house, except for the grocery store, and had not had a physical checkup in more than 8 years. Although his arm was disabled from a war injury, he seemed physically healthy. But he was obviously depressed and declining in his ability to care for himself. Rob helped George set up an appointment for a physical checkup right away.
Even though our geriatric counselors will provide therapy to elderly clients in their homes, Rob felt that George needed companionship. He invited him to go to the Heartland Family Service Senior. George first declined because he had no transportation. Rob told him about the van that picks up and drops off the seniors who need a ride. Rob suspected George was reluctant to socialize because of his disability. He gently coaxed the older man to make the decision to visit, and George agreed to go once.
That visit was the day that turned George’s life around. When the van stopped in front of his house, he was greeted by smiling faces. The other seniors wanted to know whether he could play pinochle. George had not played cards for years, and he perked up at the chance to play again.
By the time they arrived at the center, George was already feeling comfortable. The center director welcomed him, showed him around and introduced him to the other seniors who were not on the van. She gave him a calendar of the month’s events and invited him to go on the next field trip. After lunch, he played pinochle with the van group.
George came back again and again, and made new friends. The seniors accepted him easily, and George began to visit them in their homes. He continued to meet with Rob for therapy once a week for about 3 months.
After several weeks, Rob suggested that George volunteer at the senior center. The center director asked him to take charge of setting up for the various activities after lunch. George takes a lot of pride in his volunteer duties—he knows his work is valued, and it makes him feel needed.
George is now a regular on the Tuesday van to the grocery store, and he enjoys participating in other social activities. He has good friends. He is more outgoing, and has started caring more about his personal care and hygiene—now that he has a reason to look and feel good.
(Note: Please understand that our client’s stories are deeply personal. The names and photos have been changed to protect their identity.)
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