‘Visitor Volunteers’ honored, needed

April 7-13 was National Volunteer Appreciation Week.

The Purchase District Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program includes an Advisory Council, with volunteer members Sally Roof, of Paducah; Brenda Whitford, of Mayfield; Crystal Williams, of Benton; and Jeff Wylie, of Murray.

Taking it one step forward, the program could not accomplish one of its primary objectives, providing regular friendly visitors to residents of long-term care (nursing homes), if it were not for “Friendly Visitor Volunteers.”

Currently, there are two Friendly Visitor Volunteers, Annetta Wathen volunteers at Paducah’s River Haven Nursing & Rehab (formerly McCracken Nursing & Rehabilitation), and Wayne Lohaus, who volunteers at Fulton Nursing & Rehabilitation (formerly Diversicare).

According to District Ombudsman, Susan Caldwell Black, “Each and every one of the volunteers serving the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program does a wonderful job, and I am taking advantage of the attention the week brings to volunteering, to not only recognize their contributions, but to thank them for their time. I also feel the need to call attention to the fact that there are residents in eighteen other Purchase facilities, who deserve an Annetta or a Wayne, visiting with them. By piggy-backing on the week’s recognition of volunteers, I am hoping to also recruit a ‘few good men and women,’ as additional Friendly Visitor Volunteers for facilities in Ballard, Calloway, Carlisle, Graves, Hickman, and Marshall Counties.”

The LTC Ombudsman Program’s volunteer program, Black said, is so appreciated by residents of long-term care—especially the 60% who never see a family member or friend walk through the door, to visit them.

Residents in the nursing homes of the eight counties were once farmers, police officers, county magistrates, veterans, homemakers, Wal Mart greeters, veterans, award-winning cooks, teachers, riverboat captains, coaches, mail carriers.

The careers associated with these residents seem endless, and even though they touched many lives when they were active members of their communities, almost two thirds of these residents never have a visitor, now that they are residents in long-term care.

The Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program is one of the Purchase Area Development District’s Aging services, and wants to see the number of Friendly Visitor Volunteers grow, so that every county in the Purchase has at least one Friendly Visitor Volunteer.

The job description is very simple: visit the LTC facility in the volunteer’s county at least once per month; meet and talk with the same residents or try to meet new residents during each visit; and submit a monthly report, telling how many residents were visited and the length of the visit.

The District Ombudsman provides a two-hour training session for future volunteers, including a walk-through of the facility the Friendly Visitor Volunteer will be visiting each month.

The District Ombudsman sums it up pretty well, “To be a great volunteer, you don’t have to be creative, musically talented, wealthy, attractive, or even experienced at volunteering—you just have to care and give of your time, to show how much you care. That will usually put a smile on the face of any long-term care resident, and if you bring a friendly four-legged visitor along with you, that’s even better!”

Those interested in becoming a Friendly Visitor Volunteer, or who want more information, may contact the District Long-Term Care Ombudsman at 270-251-6120 or email susan.caldwellblack@purchaseadd.org.