Client Stories
Meryl
As a young girl growing up, Meryl can remember volunteering her afternoons at a home for seniors in her neighborhood. She even offered the elderly residents the chance to hop aboard for a ride on her horse.
When she was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 78, Meryl needed outside help to get her to medical appointments in Seattle every three weeks. She also admitted that she needed some assistance to care for her husband and his struggles with Alzheimer’s.
“I was active when I was young” she said. “I used to volunteer at a senior home, so I guess I’m not used to asking for help. But I didn’t really have much left.”
For Meryl, the $100 taxi fare to Seattle would mean that she could not afford the cost of her treatment for cancer. Volunteers from Faith in Action (now Eastside Friends of Seniors) provided Meryl transportation to her medical appointments, some help around the house and some support dealing with the reality of her husband’s condition.
All free of charge.
Most important to Meryl was the knowledge that she was not alone.
“The volunteers couldn’t have been nicer. I am very grateful,” she explained. “They offered support in a way that was not condescending or embarrassing for me, but in a very genuine and humble way.”
Patty
Age is not the only challenge many of our clients many of our clients deal with. Patty became a client of Faith in Action (now Eastside Friends of Seniors) in 2009. Patty is mentally ill and is dependent on regular visits to her doctor to monitor her medication so she can continue to live on her own. Patty came to our program through the recommendation of a friend, another elderly client. She was matched with a volunteer who takes her to her appointments and stays in contact with her between visits.
Thanks to the friendship she established with the volunteer, Patty has overcome many of her fears. It took 18 months, but when Patty calls the office now to schedule a ride in addition to her regular medical appointments, our staff reports it is like speaking with a close friend. The volunteers who have worked with Patty provide her with more than transportation. They provide her with the human contact that she so desperately lacked. Volunteers have provided Patty with more than 300 one-way rides and almost 3,000 miles of transportation. But more importantly, they have improved the quality of her life.
You can change a life too by becoming a volunteer with Eastside Friends of Seniors. The rewards you’ll receive in return are priceless. Volunteer today by calling:
(425) 369-9120 or sending an email to info@EastsideFriendsofSeniors.org
Mary
Mary lives in a pleasant suburban home in Issaquah where her days were dedicated to the needs of her husband, who has Alzheimer’s. She had accepted her role as a caregiver, but admitted that she needed some help when she received her own diagnosis of breast cancer. Mary had enough in her budget to pay for some in-home care, but called Faith in Action (now Eastside Friends of Seniors) to help her assess the situation.
After spending time with our client services coordinator, she felt confident enough that she decided to remain in her home by hiring a private company for daily care her husband required, then coordinating the other household tasks among various agencies.
You can help Mary care for her husband and take care of herself with a donation to Eastside Friends of Seniors. www.EastsideFriendsofSeniors.org
Sheila
Like many of our clients, Sheila has been forced to live on the meager combination of monthly checks from Social Security and disability, which means she survives on about $8,000 per year. Although she was qualified for Metro’s free transportation program for the disabled, there was not enough space on the rural road in front of her tiny house in Snoqualmie for the Access van to turn around. When Sheila call Faith in Action (now Eastside Friends of Seniors), client services coordinator Laura made the customary home visit to assess her needs. Laura discovered more than just a narrow road. She saw that the wood steps leading to the front door were rotted and desperately in need of repair; her deck was slippery and covered with slime; her garden had been neglected to the point it needed a major clean-up and Sheila had apparently been unable to keep up with her housework. She was also long overdue for a dental visit.
Laura’s visit opened the gates to a flood of volunteers dispatched to the little house in Snoqualmie. The first team did a deep clean of Sheila’s home, rearranged some furniture and started some long-overdue work on the yard. The Sammamish Rotary Club lent the volunteers a power washer to de-slime her deck. And—best of all—Sheila has received rides to the dentist that she so desperately needed, and she is no longer in pain.
Sheila has called our office several times to thank the volunteers. As a deeply religious woman, she repeated prayers for the volunteers sent her way:
“Praise the Lord all day long!”
You can help Eastside Friends of Seniors care for Shiela and the more than 1,000 seniors living in communities east of Lake Washington with a tax-deductable donation.
Income: Seventy-three percent of the clients served are at or below the federal low-income standard.
Florine
Even at 82 years old, something Florine had never considered giving up her independence. She had been living alone in her Bellevue townhome since her husband was moved into the assisted living facility close to their home. She walked her dog three times every day and drove well enough to have dinner with her husband. But she had no idea how her body would react to the chemotherapy appointments she was required to take every week. So she reluctantly reached out for help.
What Florine did not realize was that she would also make a friend. When she shared her life story with the volunteer, they quickly realized that they shared a love for dogs and the symphony.
Thankfully, her chemo treatments have ended and Florine is a proud cancer survivor. But no longer hesitates to ask for rides when she has another medical appointment in Seattle.
Transportation for medical appointments remains one of the key services provided by Eastside Friends of Seniors. In the first six months of 2010, our 118 trained volunteers drove our clients over 13,182 miles, a total that was only 16 miles fewer than the total miles driven in the entire year in 2008!
Jean
Jean lives in an apartment in downtown Issaquah, with her little dog, “Apple”, the apple of her eye. Jean doesn’t have family, except for a sister in another state. Her apartment is close to the grocery store, but Jean had trouble walking home with heavy bags. Her apartment is small, but it could use a good cleaning and airing out. It wouldn’t take much to make it sparkle again.
She has no neighbors or friends she could ask for the occasional ride to a medical appointment or to help her keep up with the housework. Nobody, that is until a neighbor recommended Faith in Action (now Eastside Friends of Seniors). After an assessment by one of our staff, Jean received help with the small challenges in her life. One volunteer helped her shop for groceries, and then helped put them away when she got home. Another team of “angels” (as she described them) cleaned her apartment from floor to ceiling. And before they left, the volunteers made sure Jean knew she could call again whenever she needed help.
Part of the assistance provided by Eastside Friends of Seniors is follow-up with each client to be sure they are not alone. We want them to know they have friends available to help her maintain her independence. We even told Jean that volunteers were available to walk her dog.
You can help Jean and the more than 1,000 seniors in our community to who occasionally need a little help to remain independent by volunteering just a few hours of your time. Not enough time to in your schedule? You can make a donation to keep our services free. Call 425-369-9120 or email info@EastsideFriendsofSeniors.org.
