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Charlie Traffas
Charlie Traffas has been involved in marketing, media, publishing and insurance for more than 40 years. In addition to being a fully-licensed life, health, property and casualty agent, he is also President and Owner of Chart Marketing, Inc. (CMI). CMI operates and markets several different products and services that help B2B and B2C businesses throughout the country create customers...profitably. You may contact Charlie by phone at (316) 721-9200, by e-mail at ctraffas@chartmarketing.com, or you may visit at www.chartmarketing.com.
Senior Living
2009-11-01 15:55:00
Volunteerism - benefits and rewards
Question: Last month you ended your article series on loneliness in seniors with, “I will be back next month to explore volunteerism, a cure for loneliness.” We are going through a bout of what we think is “loneliness” with Mom, yet she is in good health and can be as active as she wants. Volunteerism may just be the “ticket.”
Answer: It may very well be. Over the past few weeks we have researched together the effects of loneliness on the elderly. We have discovered that loneliness can be stressful, debilitating and painful. We have discovered that loneliness is both social and emotional. As your “circle of friends” get smaller due to illness, moves to be closer to friends, lack of transportation or death an active social life can dwindle. Where do you go to find this group of friends to “hang out” with? As I began my research I quickly realized that I have many “older” friends and acquaintances who already found this answer and were actively practicing Volunteerism. What better way to discover where to go to get the “cure” and the effects of the cure on their lives than to hear directly from individuals who have experienced a positive impact on their lives through volunteering. I was privileged to interview several of these folks about their volunteer experiences and the effects it has on their lives. I asked all of them the same questions. Before I share the answers with you I want to introduce you to just two of the many individuals I interviewed this past week. Galen Quakenbush lives at ParkWest Plaza Retirement Community. You might have read about Galen in the spring 2007 issue of Health Matters magazine when he was featured in an article about Volunteerism. Galen has been an American Red Cross volunteer for 19 years. He coordinates transportation for seniors to and from medical appointments. Galen said two years ago when interviewed, “Volunteering gives me something to look forward to; it is good to know you have helped someone who needs it! “I look forward to getting out every week.” Two years have passed since Galen gave those quotes, he is still volunteering at the same position and his quotes were the same this week when April Leason from Park West Plaza discussed volunteering with him! Lois Cool who I am proud to say is my MOM, is an 82 year old female, married, still living in her personal home and still drives. Her social network has dwindled some due to age but she still socializes with my Dad and their friends, bowls, plays golf and is active in her church. Sounds like she is a busy lady and she is but she was looking for something more – something to allow her to give back to her community. She is a “pink” lady in the surgery center at a local hospital. Her primary role is to be a support person for family in the waiting room. She visits, holds hands, navigates the communication process for families, serves refreshments, and in general is a support person. She loves it!!! She is busy giving of herself to those in need. Is she is nurse? No – she is a caring individual who has been a caregiver all her life – for family and friends and now she is giving support and care to those she has only just met!! In our interview she said at least 3 times – “I just love this job! “ “I know you do MOM; I can see it in your face every time we talk about your volunteer position. Following is the list of questions about Volunteerism that I asked my volunteer friends and the answers they gave to me. Q. Why do you volunteer? 1. I enjoy being needed and I love knowing I can still help others 2. I was looking for friends 3. I wanted to be useful to someone 4. I retired but missed working Q. What benefits do you get from volunteering? 1. I don’t have time to worry about myself, volunteers are much in demand 2. I realized I have a lot of valuable talent I can share 3. I feel needed and useful 4. I have found a whole new group of friends 5. I realized even at my age I can still learn new things. 6. On the days I am busy volunteering the time just flies by, I am tired but it is a good tired. 7. I have something to look forward to and to plan for, I have a schedule Q How did you find the right volunteer positions for you? 1. “I looked for a volunteer opportunity where I could use my skills I practiced for 40 years at my job. You would be surprised how many youth groups, churches, and community organizations need my engineering and carpentry skills and knowledge, I am in demand!” 2. I love helping others and I am a good coordinator. My position at the hospital allows me to help and provide support for others. 3. I asked our lifestyles coordinator for suggestions. I found I could volunteer in helping others here in my community. I thoroughly enjoyed my conversations with these Active Volunteers. As I read the answers and reviewed my notes I discovered some commonality about these individuals. All talked about the benefits they received from their volunteer positions, they all expressed their desire to help others and not one mentioned being lonely!
 
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