August 31, 2012 by LIFE ElderCare
Eileen lives in a small, sunny room filled with neatly framed photos of her children, grandchildren, and late husband. A participant in LIFE ElderCare?s Friendly Visitors program, she has been living in a Union City Board and Care facility for several years and recently achieved the distinction of being their longest resident. She misses the friends she made who have passed away or who have moved to another facility. Without transportation she is not able to maintain contact with anyone living outside the home.?
Originally from New York City, she has fond memories of growing up near Central Park. ?I miss it,? she says. With her husband, she moved to California in the late 1970?s to be near their daughter. When asked her age she says with sly grin, ?I?m 93, not bad, huh!? Like many women who have survived into their 90?s, both of her children have passed away but she is lucky to have two grandchildren still living in the area.
For the past 3 years, Eileen has been getting weekly visits from Diane, her Friendly Visitor and Gini, her late daughter?s best friend who has been watching over her since she moved out of the family home. Gini and Diane have become fast friends and Gini recently become a Friendly Visitor herself.
Diane fondly refers to Eileen as ?my senior buddy?. ?We?ve had some fun times, celebrating birthday parties and going to Filoli Gardens in Woodside,? she says. ?On her good days, when she feels strong enough to stand, we go out for short trips.? They enjoyed attending Fremont?s Fourth of July parade and sometimes spend time in the park. Because Eileen is not in any pain, Diane gently encourages her to stay active and get more exercise.
When she was young, Eileen worked for the Pepsi Corporation. Out of five siblings, she only has one sister left who, at 83, still lives in New York. Because writing has become difficult, Diane writes letters to her sister and they share photos with each other.
Diane moved to the Bay Area from the East Coast and currently works in the field of transportation. She serves on a citizen?s advisory board to promote increased use of public transit to get more cars off the road. For fun, she plays golf and attends sporting events. Because she enjoys her time with Eileen so much and has made other friends herself in the process, she has recently started visiting a second ?senior buddy?.
She visits Eileen for about an hour a week unless they go out somewhere, then it?s usually two hours. ?I open her mail and listen to her phone messages for her,? she says. ?Recently, a friend of Eileen?s family found Eileen through the Internet and called her at the care home. They spoke on the phone and chatted about old times and now the friend is planning a visit with Eileen during her next trip to California.?
They laughed about a recent adventure to Kohl?s to buy a new bra. ?I tell her that at her age she doesn?t really need to wear bras anymore,? says Diane. Eileen responds with, ?No way, my mother was a fiend about bras, if you ?bounced? you were sent home!?
?Diane is very good to me,? says Eileen with a smile
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