Bridging the Generation Gap
by Julie D. Andrews
It was the best walk she's taken on the Upper East Side, says 30-year-old Carmella La Bianca. It was finally spring. Vibrant tulips were in full bloom. The air tasted sweet and warm. Each building passed brought forth another story from her 81-year-old companion's long, winding memory. The two stopped in at boutiques along Madison Avenue to size up the latest fashions, flitted into the Guggenheim Museum, and ended their afternoon together sipping tea and noshing on chocolate cookies.
“She hadn't been out of her apartment for weeks,” says La Bianca of her companion that day whom she now visits once a week as a volunteer with Search and Care, a nonprofit that provides social services to frail, home-bound elderly persons living between E. 86th and E. 96th Streets.
“I volunteer because I'm genuinely interested in older generations,” says La Bianca. “Every time I meet with my client it's a special experience. This is not something I force myself to do.”
This is just the type of positive connection Search and Care volunteer coordinator Robin Strashun aims to make each time she pairs up a new volunteer with a client.
When a senior citizen is confined to a small apartment and gets isolated from human contact, she says, something as simple as taking a walk around the block, playing chess, or practicing French with a volunteer can be a much-anticipated .. and appreciated ... experience.
“Yorkville and Carnegie Hill are populated with walk-ups. And, it's not unusual for an elderly person to be living on the fifth floor of a walk-up. If you walk with a cane or walker, you won't get out much,” says Strashun.
Elderly tenants can also start to feel like a nuisance to landlords. This is why Search and Care also advocates for the rights of elderly tenants.
Unlike other nonprofit organizations, Search and Care requires no specific time commitment from volunteers. Strashun tries her best to make a fitting volunteer/client match from the get-go so that the visits can be rewarding for both parties. She takes personal interests into consideration as well as geography. “When there's less travel involved for a volunteer, it is not a chore,” she says.
The best visits with clients tend to be activity-based. One baker client who prefers to use the freshest butter and eggs with her recipes was thrilled to have a young, sturdy volunteer who could take her on the bus across town to the farmer's market.
Search and Care was founded in 1972 by Sue Chandler as a not-for-profit, non-sectarian social service agency. It's core of 12 professional case managers and support staff rely heavily on volunteers, interns (social work, nursing, occupational therapy), and Reservists (retired financial experts) to meet client needs.
At the time of Search and Care's inception, Chandler was a graduate student and it's said that she went knocking door-to-door to ask people which of their neighbors or relatives may need help.
Census Factfinder data shows that one out of eight community residents living in zip code 10128 are more than 65 years old. Many of them are alone, without family or friends nearby. For them, arranging for public entitlements or benefits or coordinating health and social services can be overwhelming. This is where Search and Care can step in to act as a second family to advocate for, organize, and monitor care.
Today, Search and Care clients range in age from 61 to 103 years old with the average client being 85. Many of the volunteers are from Regis High School, a Catholic all-boys institution at 55 E. 84th Street.
The organization can always put more volunteers to work, especially those with weekday availability and encourages community members to inform them about elderly people in the neighborhood who may need their help.
Through outreach to the community and by staying in touch with neighbors, friends, relatives, supers, merchants, and physicians, Search and Care learns about potential new clients. They then perform assessments of the men and women to determine long- and short-term needs and arrange to provide whatever care or service is necessary.
Volunteers help clients with anything from doing their own laundry to running errands, getting to doctor appointments, taking walks, and paying bills. The major aim of Search and Care is to help the elderly live safely and independently, with dignity, in the comfort of their own homes.
“What's unique and special about our organization is that we also help keep creditors and landlords off elderly tenants' backs by helping them with money management.” says Strashun.
Get involved with Search and Care located at 1844 Second Avenue by calling Robin Strashun, volunteer coordinator at 212-289-5300, ext. 203. Or, go to www.searchandcare.org to learn more.
| Search and Care1844 2nd Avenuebetween 95th & 96th streetsNew York, NY 10128212-289-5300 |
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