Volunteering can save your life

My mother was in a rehab/nursing home for about 7 weeks before I brought her home. She died on June 9th.

I recently went back to the rehab centre to thank the nurses and aides for their care. As I was talking to one of the nurses, one of the patients, who they later told me had not talked for about 9 weeks, heard my voice and yelled, where have you been, she scooted her wheelchair towards me and was lifting her little arms up for a hug. I bent down, hugged her and told her my mommy had died. She cried and patted my hand, then went back to her Alzheimers jabbering, but still holding my hand. The nurse told me that she hasn’t talked, and when she checked her chart she noticed it started right after mom and I left.

Everyday that mom was there, I would talk to this little woman, hug her, and every morning she met me at the door, and every evening she waved as I left. Some mornings I would sit with her and cry, telling her I didn’t know what to do. I called yesterday and they told me that since my visit, she is still scooting around and talking every now and then. I’m going back to visit her this week.

Please volunteer. You can make a difference. I know my mom was smiling, my mom was magical and I think she was trying to show me that volunteering can save your life, not just who you volunteer for. – Melissa (Missy) ♥