“Bridging the generations, the young and the old, through awareness, intentional services and social interaction”
Mission Statement of the Widow and Elderly Care Program of G.O.D. International
It is with this mission in mind that young people from all over the U.S. participate in our community service projects for widows and the elderly. Working locally, students at the Institute for G.O.D. and high school and college students serving with SLAM volunteer hundreds of hours a year to meet the needs of senior citizens in Nashville. During the early months of COVID-19, our access to the elderly came to a standstill. The senior citizens living in our neighborhood were apprehensive about having visitors. Our regular visits to elderly living in complexes came to a halt. With the onset of COVID and the high vulnerability of those over 65 years of age, we couldn’t visit the residents as the housing management was taking every precaution to thwart the spread of the disease.
After six months of isolation, we were finally granted permission to visit. The Institute for G.O.D students were so excited to reconnect with the residents again. They came with trays of sweet cakes and cookies, musical instruments, and a supply of masks, sanitizer, and gloves. They were ready to serve.
Thirty residents gathered in the lobby area. They shared with the students how much they missed having visitors. “There has been nothing on our community calendar for over 6 months,” the activities facilitator told us. “It will be so good to finally have something for our folks to look forward to.” The previous 6 months felt like time was standing still. There was no change in routine, no going out, no visitors, and all social activities stopped. This day, the atmosphere in the lobby area was exuberant. Although no one got out of their seat to dance to the music, feet were tapping, hands lifted high, waving and clapping, and bodies moving to the music. “I’m getting too tired trying to sing and (chair) dance,” said one of the women, “so I have to pick one.” She chose to dance and sing the songs 'in her head.'
After the first two weeks, residents were waiting and ready when our students arrived. They wanted the students to play songs they knew and loved. “You know ‘The Bridge Over Troubled Waters?’” asked one gentleman. Another woman remarked that certain songs brought her back to her childhood. Music unlocked memories that had faded over the years. The requests varied from traditional hymns to Elvis to folk songs to ‘old time country.’ College students, Carl (guitarist) and Gerron (drummer) admitted they were not familiar with some of the song choices. So they wrote down each song request and planned to learn how to play some of the new songs before they came back! They are learning the language of another generation. When they returned, they played and the residents were visibly moved. It didn’t matter that they played a wrong chord or that they forgot some of the lyrics. The young people had taken the time to learn their musical language and the residents were overjoyed.
Too often services extended to the elderly are composed of what the servicer sees as good and necessary. We teach our students to listen to what senior citizens want and not assume that they know what is best. In this case, when the students became aware of what the senior citizens wanted, it wasn’t enough to serve by performing their practiced and familiar playlist. Instead, they determined to serve people in the way they needed and create a social environment where the people feel valued and loved.
Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart… Ephesians 5:18-19
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” James 1:27
Comments