It’s the holiday season, and one way to give back this December is spending time with someone who’s in a home. For them, seeing a new face brightens their day, and chances are they’ll be eager to talk to you.
Spending quality time with those who are in assisted living facilities can not only benefit them emotionally but can help with their symptoms as well.
“It makes me feel good knowing I’m making someone’s day,” junior Maeve Hughes said. “Seeing her reaction to us coming to visit her makes me happy.”
Social interaction not only improves the quality of life for those in assisted living homes, but reduces the amount of aggression, agitation, and even pain a patient may be experiencing. Spending even fifteen minutes with a loved one, friend, or someone you may be volunteering with can not only make their day but help with improving the
struggles they may be having.
In the article “Social Interaction for People With Dementia” by Keystone Health, the authors write, “When patients with Dementia/Alzheimers have at least one hour of social interaction a week it decreases the risk of cognitive impairment and can significantly improve their quality of life.”
Juniors Maeve Hughes and Devyn Alantzas enjoy visiting Ethel Alantzas, Devyn’s grandmother, whenever they can. Ethel has Dementia and Parkinson’s disease, both of which affect her memory and ability to complete daily tasks. However, over time Devyn and Maeve have not only gotten to spend quality time with Mrs. Alantzas but also watched her find herself again.
“I think over the past three visits she has gotten better every time,” Hughes said. “The first time we saw her she wasn’t very talkative. Though the last few times we went to see her she was moving around a lot, more active than usual, talking more and making jokes with us.”
Mrs. Alantzas also shared how it made her feel when people went to see her.
“It makes me happy,” said Alantzas. “My favorite visitor is my kids.”
Not only does it bring her joy, but she also mentioned that seeing certain people brings back memories for her, and helps her remember certain things. Mrs. Alantzas found herself a good friend at Seasons Of Danvers, a staff worker named Tony McGee. Mcgee assists Mrs. Alantzas with daily tasks and helps make her life a little easier each day, all whilst maintaining a meaningful friendship. McGee often sees the changes in patients, what brings them joy, what changes their day, and most of all what makes them happy.
“Having visitors impacts them a lot,” McGee said. “It makes them happier throughout the day, after the families leave they are smiling, eating more, and participating in activities”
McGee mentioned how Seasons of Danvers, and many other assisted living homes promote and encourage people to come in and visit. Aside from family and friends, they bring in petting zoos, musicians, and volunteers from Saint John’s Prep High School to aid in socialization and daily happiness.
There are many ways to visit a person. Conveniently next door is Avita, an assisted living facility located just a town over, in Newburyport Massachusetts. Here, they offer volunteer opportunities to meet and create bonds with patients they have. Andrew Alantzas, Father to Triton juniors, volunteered there for over a year. He shared his experience there.
“Avita is a very professionally run establishment,” Alantzas said, “ I met a lot of wonderful and well-qualified people who worked there, from the receptionist to the chefs to the nurses. Volunteering at Avita weekly for a year affected me in many positive ways. It made me realize the importance of caring for loved ones and the impact it can have even if it isn’t necessarily evident at the beginning, or at all.”
Mr. Alantzas had a wonderful experience being able to be a part of everyone’s lives at Avita. Over time he watched the people he was volunteering have their highs and lows. Since the people he volunteered with were suffering from various types of mental health disorders; Parkinson’s, dementia, and Alzheimer’s, he often saw the degradation in their conditions.
“However,” Alantzas said, “I also saw their excitement when new people would visit them and show interest in spending time with them, listening to them, and allowing them to communicate with another human being.”
