Sister Sue is Broughtonlea's much loved receptionist...I could easily see the affection of the residents and the esteem in which they held her. One resident made a comment to me: "Oh..she is full of so much love" and they all enjoyed watching her fuss about with the twins. If I was honest I would have to admit that there was as much, if not more interest in P & D playing with their crawl tunnels as there was in my spinning!
To top it all off Christine (another sis!) came to the demonstration along with my nephews and niece. It was lovely to see the children all together. They were soooo good, too. A golden moment was P&D taking pinches of my silver angelina fibres and pressing it into the residents hands. Some residents had a little less awareness than others...and to see them accept the strange little gifts from the babies was so joyful.
Toward the end of our visit I had a little poignant moment. There was an old man reclining and silently looking on from the sidelines at the twins and their games. A staff member kindly addressed him...."Its been a while since you've been with children, Doctor...." and explained to me that this gentleman had been a Doctor at the Royal Women's hospital for many years. It hit home to me that as a society we are all too quick to look beyond the elderly...to forget who they are and what they have given to the community. It is very sad when the elderly, especially those suffering from dementia, become so anonymous. What can we do? Smile and greet a Grannie anytime you can! hehe
Broughtonlea is such a nice place. The staff were so friendly and the building and facilities were stunning. Oh...and the receptionist. The receptionist is ONE IN A MILLION!! hehe! Love you, Sue. xx
All the best, and thanks for logging into Sheepychic Bloggings.
4 comments:
What a great thing to do, Ruth. Thanks for sharing that...
You will probably never know just how much of an impact you had on the residents of Broughtonlea.
You're so very right. The elderly are often forgotten.
Not by you or your sister's though.
Your post made me feel all warm and fuzzy.
I love it. You really are wonderful. x
A good deed done!
My mum works at a nursing home and I have taken my kids a couple of times to visit the residents.
You will be surprised the effect that your children will have had on the elderly.
No doubt that you would have made their day.
I remember an elderly lady at mum's work was constantly re-arranging table cloths, doilies, napkins basically any fabric..later to find that she was a famous fashion designer when she was younger. Unbelievable!
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