A day at the nursing home

On a drizzly gray afternoon last Friday, we made a journey to a nursing home to do some community service.

It was a project that was many months in the making. In our fall focus group, a student had suggested taking trips to places like hospitals to help out. Later, when I asked students where they might like to go, they suggested a nursing home. This made sense, as many of them were interested in pursuing careers as nurses and doctors.

I got in touch with Greater Philadelphia Cares, which matches volunteers to service sites throughout the region. After talking with many students last week, Pete and I brought a dedicated group of eleven students to Mount Airy for our project.

It was a long trip. First, we took the Broad Street Line up to Olney. The students--half of them clad in orange All-City badminton shirts--dozed on the way. Opposite the bus terminal, we saw an opossum sitting on a high ledge as we waited for the bus.

We got on the bus and rode through several low-rise mixed-use neighborhoods until we reached our destination. As we walked to the nursing home, a student remarked on the leafy green beauty of the area.

Mary was already there as we entered and were greeted by a staff member named Ahmadullah. He took us on a tour and described the activities the students would be doing. There was a prom coming up in June, he explained, and that was something many residents were looking forward to. There were also games to play and people to meet.

We split into several groups. In the rec room, two students called bingo as a couple of stations were set up for residents to receive manicures from several other students (several of whom happen to have experience working in nail salons). A checkers game was set up.

Ahmadullah and three girls picked gowns from the racks. They then dropped by different rooms so residents could choose dresses for the prom. Afterwards, they visited another lounge and played balloon volleyball with the people there. We were also invited to visit different rooms, and the students fanned out and had conversations with residents with ages ranging from 60 to 103.

It was an emotional afternoon, full of smiles and tears. The students treated the residents with great respect, listening attentively and helping with daily tasks. Afterwards, they were thoughtful about their experience that afternoon. They talked about what they would do when their parents get older, or even how they themselves might experience in the later years of their lives. They wondered if the residents at the nursing home were lonely. Some of them said they would like to visit again.

This was the first time we had done a project like this during the current school year. I was glad that the students found the experience rewarding. What's next? We will see what the students have to say about that.