Volunteers lend elderly people an ear

Written by Writer on Saturday, November 8th, 2008

TOCHIGI / Volunteers lend elderly people an ear

Volunteers are brightening the lives at elderly residents of retirement homes in Tochigi Prefecture by visiting them and listening to what they have to say.

Training programs for those who want to work as so-called volunteer listeners have been held in several places in the prefecture. Some of those who have completed the program form their own volunteer groups.

As many elderly people enjoy having the chance to talk to someone, staffers at retirement homes hope more and more people will become involved in the movement.

In Midori, a special nursing-care home for the aged in Utsunomiya, a volunteer greeted an 80-year-old resident when she entered the home’s lounge, by saying, “Long time no see. How have you been?”

“Having someone who listens patiently to me gives my life a bit of variety,” she said.

The facility has 21 people registered as volunteer listeners. “I listen to the residents carefully even when they repeat the same stories again and again. Their smiles and the pleasure in their voices motivate me a lot,” a 65-year-old volunteer said.

Training programs for the volunteer activity have been held in several places in the prefecture.

Twenty-seven citizens, mainly in their 50s and 60s, participated in a training program held by a civic group and other organizations in Utsunomiya in September and October.

During the program, they attended six sessions, consisting of lectures and practical training sessions at homes for the aged. “It’s important for volunteer listeners to put aside their own thoughts, pay respect to the person speaking and concentrate on listening to the person,” said a psychology counselor who served as a lecturer during the program.
(Nov. 8, 2008)