According to The Senior Source President/CEO Stacey Malcolmson,
“The Senior Source, a 60-year-old nonprofit agency is ready to take your donation to bring a smile to the face of a lonely nursing home resident. Even before the pandemic, nearly half of seniors in long-term care facilities never received visitors. For some, a gift from The Senior Source will be the only one they receive this year.
“The Senior Source’s Friendly Visitor Program’s annual holiday wish list is on Amazon. While you are shopping online, will you add a gift or two to your cart for the older adults who are isolated and alone this holiday season? With a few clicks of your mouse, you can send a pair of reading glasses, personal care supplies, clothing, or a crossword puzzle book to an older adult in a Dallas County long-term care facility. At checkout, Amazon even gives you the option to directly ship the gifts to The Senior Source’s office. You can make a world of difference without even leaving home.
“The Senior Source Board Member and volunteer Stephanie Bernal shares this heartwarming story-
When I first visited the nursing home where I volunteer, I was chaperoning an assignment for my son. Up to this point, my volunteer focus was children; however, that simple assignment as a Bingo card reader at the local nursing home changed my life. As we all know, everyone likes to shout BINGO, but you can’t win if you cannot read the cards. I spent that first chaotic Sunday afternoon frantically assisting Bingo competitors who couldn’t read the cards. I was shocked and saddened by the simplicity of the solution – they needed reading glasses. Being able to buy $5 readers for an aging parent is something I took for granted. But for many of the residents, readers are a luxury.
“’I bought a mega-pack of readers and distributed them at our next Bingo tournament. After that, whenever I would visit, someone would roll past me in their wheelchair, wearing their purple or red readers, gushing about how much they loved them. The excessive joy over reading glasses is something I will never take for granted. These moments, the gratitude, the epiphanies, the new friends, and their life stories endeared me even further.
“The Senior Source’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program in Dallas County is managed by The Senior Source, whose staff and volunteers regularly visit the 324 facilities. Your donation is a token of gratitude for our seniors have protected our freedoms, raised families, and developed our neighborhoods. At The Senior Source, we work to ensure that they live their later years with the dignity and respect they deserve.
“For more information on The Senior Source’s programs and services, please visit www.TheSeniorSource.org.
“Our wish list link: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/TXGP3RYLMRZ4/ref=hz_ls_biz_ex”
* Graphic/photo provided by The Senior Source
