Volunteers to assist elderly sought by Interfaith Caregivers
BROWNSVILLE – Several years ago, Carol Ashton, the executive director of the Interfaith Volunteer Caregivers of Fayette County, delivered a meal to an elderly blind man when a volunteer wasn’t able to work. That incident changed her life – and she is hoping others in the Brownsville area are looking for a similar life-changing experience.
Ashton told members of the Greater Brownsville Area Chamber of Commerce that, as she was delivering the meal, the man asked what color her eyes were. Although she thought it an odd question, she told him, and the man said his wife had had the same color eyes.
She had died three years before, and he missed her terribly, the man said.
And then, he thanked her for taking the time to deliver his meal and to talk to him.
“It was only five to seven minutes,” Ashton said, “and he was thanking me for it.”
Ashton said it was the first time she realized how alone and lonely are many elderlyFayette Countians.
She said that, for many of those who receive meals through the homebound meal program, the person delivering the meal is their only contact with the outside world each day.
She said another man asked to have someone call him each morning.
He didn’t want to talk, but just to have someone make certain he had made it through the night.
He was worried that he would die alone and his body would go undiscovered for days, as had happened to one of his friends.
Ashton said volunteer opportunities that exist through the Interfaith Caregivers include taking the elderly to doctor’s appointments, doing grocery shopping, making minor household repairs, stopping by for a social visit or making a reassurance call.
She was thrilled to learn that Brownsville General Hospital recently opened a wound-care center for diabetics.
“We transport a lot of people to the wound-care center in Moon Township, and it is hard to get volunteers to go that far,” Ashton said.
“When you volunteer for Interfaith, you tell us what you want to do and how often you want to do it,” Ashton said.
Ashton said that Interfaith volunteers provide 1,000 hours of service each month, and she would like to see that service expand into the Brownsville area.
“We are not a religious organization. We give people an opportunity to put their time where their faith is,” Ashton said.
Interfaith Caregivers, which started at Trinity Presbyterian Church in 1981, was founded on the biblical principles of faith, neighborliness and hospitality, Ashton said. The non-profit agency is now independent, involving individuals of all faiths from throughout the county. Ashton urges volunteers to get their children and grandchildren involved as well, so that community service will be a way of life for them by the time they reach adulthood.
Volunteers can give as few as one or two hours a month, but the small donation of time can still mean a big difference in the lives of the elderly able to remain in their own homes because of the volunteer services, Ashton said.
“We can change this county, and we can change how we care for our elderly,” Ashton said.
“We make a living with what we get. We make a life with what we give,” Ashton said, quoting the Rev. W.A. Nance.
Information about the Fayette County Interfaith Caregivers is available by calling 724-438-0709.