HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1990-03-07, Page 6PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7, 1990.
Girl Guides and Pathfinders adopt grandparents
Sharing memories
Winnie McPhail, left, and Marie Burgess, far right, both residents of Callander Nursing Home enjoy
sharing some stories with their “adopted” granddaughters Patti Harrison and Kara Kerr.
Adopt-a-Grandparent is part of a Resident Activation Program that the Brussels Guides and
Pathfinders are involved with. Once a month the girls visit the residents and participate in various
activities with them.
as “grandparents”. One night a
month they have the chance to
socialize with the residents and
provide a source of recreation for
them. Sherry Souch, who along
with Wendy Heibein and Ruth
Thamer has been one of the Guide
leaders involved, says that the girls
have helped their grandparents
make crafts, like cards or stuffed
toys, and participated in sing-songs
with them. Also in October, they
had a Halloween party and at
Christmas they took them on a bus
tour through the village to see the
lights.
A special treat, according to
Mrs. Souch was when the girls took
the residents out as their guests to
the mother and daughter banquet
at the United Church on February
21. “It was a highlight for them.
They talked about it all the next
day”, said Mrs. Souch, who is
employed as a health care aid at
Callander as well.
The fun and enjoyment that
these evenings provide for the
residents of the nursing home can,
according to Activation Co-ordina
tor Barbara Snowden, help them
maintain a positive attitude and
increase their self-esteem. “It
makes the residents feel special,”
she says.
Dorothy Higgins, who was adop
ted by Girl Guide Leslie Elliott
agrees. “It is really a nice little
change to have them come in and
go to their grandparent for a visit,”
she says.
For the girls, the benefits are
two-fold. When the program was
begun it gave the youngsters a
chance to work towards gaining
their “Friend of the Disabled
Badge”, but though that goal has
long been achieved for some, they
still have kept their grandparent
and continue to visit them and
participate in the activities.
Pathfinder Kara Kerr says that
she likes having the opportunity to
be around the older people and
spend time talking with them.
“They talk about when they were
little and we really learn a lot from
them,” she said.
Because of the obvious merits to
the program those involved plan to
continue it as long as possible. A
lot of young people either have no
contact with elderly people or very
little, as their own grandparents
may still be fairly young and for
them the Adopt-a-Grandparent
program is a means to learn to
communicate with the elderly while
the residents can reminisce and
enjoy recreation with a specific age
group that they also don’t normally
have many opportunities to social
ize with. The close personal inter
action provides each one with a
chance to learn many things from
the other.
BY BONNIE GROPP
Spending time with the elderly,
sharing their memories and listen
ing to their stories, is something
that not every youngster has the
opportunity to do, but through
Adopt-a-Grandparent, part of the
Resident Activation Program at
Callander Nursing Home, the Brus
sels Girl Guides and Pathfinders
are discovering the enjoyment in
opening up their lives and minds to
awareness of the aged.
For the past year the Guides and
Pathfinders have been visiting 10
of the residents of Callander Nurs
ing Home that they have adopted
Public help needed to
find W. Wawanosh history
Residents of West Wawanosh
Township will soon be asked to take
an active part in the writing of the
township history book.
The History Book committee has
spent many months researching
land registry records, census re
ports up to 1891, delving into
cemetery and marriage records and
reading old newspapers. The next
stage is the public’s involvement.
Not every piece of history was
committeed to paper and many
families have their own family
history done which in some cases
will involve stories about the life
and times in West Wawanosh.
At the February meeting the
committee approved the draft of a
letter and questionnaire that will be
sent out to residents in the town
ship soliciting information from
them. The committee has compiled
the early statistics on each farm in
the township and will give this to
the residents in hopes that they
may be able to add to it.
There has never been a history
book written about West Wawa
nosh so there is a lot of ground to
cover. The book will include the
last 25 years as well as pioneer
times. The committee is also
looking for pictures that capture
the style and quality of life. Not to
be ignored are family celebrations
and 50th and 60th wedding anni
versary pictures.
The committee meets the last
Tuesday of every month at 8 p.m.
in the township council chambers.
Volunteers are invited to help with
typing, researching, or helping
other residents put their thoughts
to paper.
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