I volenteer at Adult Day Services or ADS on a weekly basis in Wallis Hall. The group there consists of adults that need to be watched or have needs that families cannot provide for during workdays. While I am there they have, exercise, lunch, quiet time, and book club. I am there to set up lunch and really just hang out with the participants. Though a lot of the older participants have dementia or some deteriorative disease, they still enjoy reminiscing what they can and talking with the other volunteers about their lives.
A woman there was born with a mental handicap so though she is older, she has the mentality of a five of six year old. I came to help out with a bandage of gauze and medical tape on my hand because I couldn't find one of the really big band-aids and because it looked so bad she was very, very concerned. She asked me what happened and I explained that I looked worst that it was and how I had fallen on a thorny plant that made my hand itchy. Still very worried, she pet my had a few times then kissed it a total of four times throughout the day.
I know this sounds bad but I had never been very comfortable around people with mental issues because I wasn't sure how I was supposed to go about talking to them or acting the way I should. My lack of knowledge made me fearful of the unknown and discouraged me from working with that population. Though I am still not confident by any means, I hope to become so by continuing to work at ADS and interacting with the participants more.
A woman there was born with a mental handicap so though she is older, she has the mentality of a five of six year old. I came to help out with a bandage of gauze and medical tape on my hand because I couldn't find one of the really big band-aids and because it looked so bad she was very, very concerned. She asked me what happened and I explained that I looked worst that it was and how I had fallen on a thorny plant that made my hand itchy. Still very worried, she pet my had a few times then kissed it a total of four times throughout the day.
I know this sounds bad but I had never been very comfortable around people with mental issues because I wasn't sure how I was supposed to go about talking to them or acting the way I should. My lack of knowledge made me fearful of the unknown and discouraged me from working with that population. Though I am still not confident by any means, I hope to become so by continuing to work at ADS and interacting with the participants more.