You wouldn’t think that escorting someone to a routine dental appointment would be a big deal, but when Judy said, “My life changed today”, I knew mine did too.
Judy Jackson is an older adult living at Hale House, an assisted living facility in Boston. One day, when she needed to get to her routine dental cleaning appointment the care director reached out to FriendshipWorks. They knew the Medical Escort program could provide a volunteer to accompany Judy from Hale House to her appointment and safely back home.
I am Laura Willis, the Marketing & Communications Strategist at FriendshipWorks. Here, all employees are asked to do one or two Medical Escort appointments per year so that we experience firsthand what it is like to support an older adult as our volunteers do. Since I was fairly new to FriendshipWorks at the time, Director of Development and Communications, Patty Catalano, agreed to go on this escort trip as well.
After arriving at Hale House we heard Judy coming down the hallway, clearly expressing that she didn’t want to be rushed this morning as she took her very small and slow calculated steps. We obliged and encouraged her, “You’re doing great, Judy. Go at your own pace. We will be sure to get you to your appointment on time.”
Once in the car, we broke the ice by asking Judy where she was from. She immediately perked up and answered “Chicago.” When Patty shared she had just been to Chicago visiting her daughter who lives close to Wrigley Field, Judy excitedly recounted her experience at a Cubs baseball game she attended in 1969, “Ken Holtzman threw a no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves." She recalled the Cubs having a pretty good year, but not good enough to win the World Series.
Realizing she now had a captive audience as we made our way through traffic, Judy shared more of her life experiences with us, including the fact that she was one of only eight women in her law school class to graduate from the University of Illinois, and that she had also worked with consumer advocate, Ralph Nader, to get several policies and initiatives put in place. She then taught law classes for many years.
Judy was thrilled that she got to her dentist safely and thanked us repeatedly for being there with her. As we waited for our scheduled pick up to return to Hale House, Judy continued to open up. We were fascinated by her knowledge of numerology including some fun facts she shared about significant dates as she noticed the date 8/8 on her appointment card for her next visit.
It was on the ride back to Hale House that Judy said, “My life changed today!” and expressed how grateful she was to have met Patty and I through FriendshipWorks. It was at that moment I knew I had made the right decision to join the team. I witnessed how important the work is and the impact it has on the lives of older adults – even something as simple as a trip to the dentist.
On my train ride home that night, I reflected on how easy it can be to make a judgment about a person at first glance and overlook a wonderful life well-lived with amazing stories to share. Judy taught me that if we just slow down, take baby steps, and take the time to look up once in a while, we might see something from a totally new perspective. The experience has inspired me to take on additional medical escort appointments when I can, meeting equally amazing people who express deep gratitude for the safety, comfort, and joy that FriendshipWorks’ volunteers provide. I, too, am deeply grateful.
