Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this week’s music event. Normally the music event is really boring but this week it was Christmas music, which is always nice, at least for me. My friend and I started by going out and trying to find residents to come to the show. Most people weren’t interested which isn’t good because then there aren’t a lot of people there. We began to notice that if you tell the residents WHO is performing they want to come. Apparently the singer there is like a celebrity to them (she also sings at the church services at the Veterans Home). We also thought it was exciting that it was Christmas music so we tried to get the residents excited about it too. Everyone kept telling us that it was too early for Christmas music and some even said it wasn’t even Thanksgiving yet. This made me sad because it made me question if they got to have anything special for Thanksgiving.
When we were roaming the halls looking for people to come we ran into my buddy from black jack. We asked him if he was going to come and he said he would and that I better come next week for black jack again. I told him I would and I’m actually pretty excited about it. He is such a sweet man. When my friend and I returned to the concert he was there, as promised, so we sat by him. During the middle of the concert he asked me to dance with him to one of the Christmas songs. I felt a little uncomfortable at first but it was just like dancing with my grandpa so it was okay. It really made him happy and he thanked me for dancing with him. When it was time to leave he kissed both my friend and me on the cheek. Jokingly the guy working that night asked if he could have a kiss too. It was really funny and a good time at the Veterans Home, I’m looking forward to next week.
Glad you enjoyed the music. I know what you mean about the entertainment being less than entertaining. I love Christmas music too. That is both awesome and entertaining that they have such respect for the singer. It is definitely not too early for Christmas music. I have been listening to it for months. It is kind of sad that the residents can totally miss a holiday that probably used to be as special to them as thanksgiving. It has been my impression that since everyone wants to be home for the holidays (and overtime is expensive), they run on minimum staff on holidays meaning that those are the worst instead of the best days for the residents.
ReplyDeleteI love it when I am able to make friendships with the folks that come down to crafts and see them over and over. I think that we all get so much more out of it when we are able to make friendships.
When I volunteered at an elderly care facility last semester, getting the residents to go to special events like guest speakers or new activities was like pulling teeth. They never wanted to do anything that wasn’t a part of their pre-established routine. It was kind of frustrating and sad because some of the activities and programs that they had were really interesting and fun!
ReplyDeleteChristmas music always brings people out though. I don’t know what it is; maybe it’s the tempo and the fact that it makes you think about family and traditions and presents but whenever I hear Christmas music I always get a little giddy.
I’m glad you’ve made friends with some of the residents. Hopefully after the semester is over and you have some free time, you can go back for an hour or two here and there. I’m sure they appreciate the company. I’ve been encouraging everyone to stay with his or her community service and help when they have free time. I really do think it is a worthwhile idea. Happy Holidays and enjoy Purdue :D
That is the cutest thing ever! At first it seemed odd to me that they didn't want to listen to the Christmas music, the people where I volunteer can't get enough of that stuff! But then when I read what you wrote about some of them saying Thanksgiving hadn't come yet it made me really sad. Hopefully they did do something special for Thanksgiving and they just don't remember it because that would be very depressing if not!
ReplyDeleteI think it's really great that you're excited to go back and see your blackjack buddy. It always makes me happy when I read the blogs on here about how us students have made such good relationships with the people we volunteer for. He seems like such a sweet old man and it's so funny that he wanted to dance! Your service sounds like it was really fulfilling and I'm so glad you enjoyed it and are looking forward to next week. I can relate to you when it comes to working with the elderly and it really is a blast!