Yeshivat Hadar Week 3 Day 2

[desh]

OK. So we spend 2 hours in the nursing home visiting residents every Wednesday. There are 6 of us assigned in a group to two floors. I'm going to guess that there are about 100 beds on those two floors, and about 40-50 residents present and awake on the floors when we're there.

So, here's the question: If I spend most of my two hours talking to the same higher-functioning more lucid people, figure 4 people (all of whom I'm also visiting with another volunteer from my group), is that valuable? Is that enough? Should I try to visit with other residents? Perhaps the less higher functioning ones or the ones who are more eager to tell harder stories? Does it matter if they're all hanging out in the same common area as some of the people I'm chatting with? Does it matter that I find this work more challenging, in the abstract, than some of my fellow volunteers do?

I discussed this with my "processing group", but I'm curious to hear your thoughts too.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

Some thoughts. Challenging yourself is usually a productive thing to so you might want to push yourself past your comfort zone a little more. But also I think you're already out of your comfort zone to do this in the first place. Also, no, I don't think it's enough, but not because you're doing something wrong. I just don't think it will ever be enough. Whatever the 'it' is that's being done, whatever the problem is in need of fixing, whoever the people are in need of help, there will always be more to do. So do what you can, really everything you can, and then feel satisfied that something is better in the world for someone even though clearly everything isn't.

<3 Gaby

[desh]

Heh, I once wrote something very similar to this. Thanks for reminding me.