As a
volunteer with Saint John Ambulance, I visit a retirement home with my dog
Charlie, where we cause a bit of excitement and much entertainment for the
lucky people in the lounge area. I also see people in their rooms and in those
cases I usually have a longer visit and a chance to get to know these elderly
men and women a bit better, as the focus gradually moves from petting Charlie
to a cosy visit and chat. I have gotten to know many lovely people and some of
them are very lonely despite family and friends. There are many reasons for this, but one that
I have observed is that of being unable to read anymore, whether because of
failing eyesight, increasing dementia, or simply being too weak. Losing the
ability to read leaves them with so much time
with nothing to do, leading to a combination of ever-increasing boredom and
depression. Yes, they could listen to audiobooks, if they could remember how to
run the machine, or have a long enough attention span to listen and comprehend, or remembered that they had an audiobook to listen to... I don't usually see family members so I have no idea what they are doing for their loved ones; I
just see what I see when I visit with Charlie.
I do have one small idea that I am working on and would like some help with. I'd like to compile some poems that would be suitable to read
to them, either by me or a friend or relative. They would have to be on the
short side and they would have to be relatively easy to understand. Rhyming
would be helpful but not mandatory, but given the age group, that is what they
would be used to for the most part. Something longer might work for some,
especially if it tells a story (ie. Casey at the Bat, The Shooting of Dan
McGrew…). Oh, and preferably upbeat!
So, what do
you think? Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Send me names of poets or
titles of poems that you think might work and leave your ideas in the comments. I’m sure the #todayspoem gang could come up with some wonderfully
entertaining poems that would add a little pleasure to the lives of these
wonderful people.