It was like any other Saturday. I parked my car in the back lot since the front always seemed to be full. As I made my way to the front entrance, I pass by shaded shut windows and a lonely wooden bench. Slowly opening the door only to be greeted by the receptionist or whoever was on duty at the time. I sign in and make my way to the memory care unit. I wait patiently for someone to open the door for me. I walk in looking for a bright face.
Since January of 2020, I have had the utmost privilege to listen to music with such wonderful individuals. I sat and listened to her talk about her life. I would ask her about her family life and how her week was. I made sure that I was giving her my full attention. I started noticing over the weeks that she had a specific style and appearance that I admired. Barrettes always held her white hair away from her face, her nails were naturally long and always painted and her pale blue eyes hidden behind her glasses. The most memorable thing about her is that she was always smiling wide no matter where she went. A playlist says a lot about someone. Rachel, my mentor, gave me a playlist to start with. Eventually, I wanted to be able to make one for her all on my own. She enjoyed some of the classics but also enjoyed the unexpected. Songs by Frank Sinatra rang through the headphones with cheerful noise and Bobby Darin's simple "Clementine" brightened the room. Spanish Operas played with an ominous yet sincere sound as she closed her eyes in a glee baring attitude. Michael Buble sometimes made her dance in her chair. Song's from Gene Kelly's "Hello Dolly" made her hum along to the lyrics. You wouldn't believe how much you could learn about someone if you just spent an hour a week with them. Sometimes, I was there longer than an hour. I couldn't stop soaking up all the stories, I was like a sponge. She grew up in San Diego just like me. She enjoyed her fun in the sun and loved the ocean. She missed her husband and from her description, he sounded like a wonderful gentleman. One Day, I painted her nails. She picked a dark pink but it was elegant and with the flowers that I added it seemed to compliment her personality very well. I wish that I could do that again for her. March 12th, 2020. I received a text advising me not to visit her. Schools closed on the 13th. By the 16th, we were in a Pandemic. COVID-19 a.k.a coronavirus covered every headline on the news. Older adults were the ones at risk. Teens, like me, were most likely carriers of the virus. Fear consumed my thoughts, made me question my daily life. Even watching movies, I became confused about why people could be allowed to stand so close without fear of spreading or contracting such a destructive disease. Often, I would have to remind myself of pre-existing interactions as if it were back in the time of the dinosaurs. I wonder about the people I met in Out and About. I wonder about people that I started to see for Music and Memory. Most of all I wonder about their mental health. Has it progressed? Have they been able to see their families? Have they gotten to listen to music? If they were in their homes, could I have been able to see them if their family aloud it? I miss my music buddies. I know they are in safe hands. Sometimes, to calm my nerves, I imagine a younger version of her sitting on the beach looking out at the ocean and enjoying the warm sun. To be honest, I don't know what is going to happen in the future with older adult care tactics. I pray they find a vaccine so volunteers can go back to helping older adults with Dementia and Alzheimer's. However, to continue volunteer work, I have been distributing food at Jewish Family Services San Diego. All are welcome. The best part of my day is handing food to people and watching them drive away with smiles on their faces. To join me and many other volunteers in helping the community, go to www.jfssd.org to see what you can do for people all around San Diego or if you need assistance, click the link. Thank you for your time to read this, to learn more about my original journey and gold award. Check out this blog post on Jewish Family's Website, Link.
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