Kindness Reminders Idea from Hayes Rowan – Sewing Bee to Make Pillows for Seniors

I have been sending out Kindness Reminders to many people who want to make sure that they reach out to show their love to a person who lives far away, a senior in a care community, or someone who just needs a little tender, loving care. If you would like to sign up for these reminders, sign up at the top right of my blog at www.KindEthics.com .

I was pleased that Hayes Rowan wrote to me with a wonderful idea for how we can show love and comfort to those who might need a little support. Here is what he wrote:

Here is one way to build bridges between our neighborhoods & nursing homes, & improve the quality of lives in both. More than pillows, the hope is: with more neighbors interacting with residents – the more conditions in the homes will improve.

Here goes: Enlist folks (scout troops, church groups, librarians adept with needlepoint hoops) to have sewing bees with residents, and make pillows. Old fashioned sewing bees – a time to listen, a time to care, someday, somewhere.

Pillows have that way of easing the aches & pains of immobility – lumbar pillows, neck pillows, u-shaped seat-cushion pillows. These days I always use a special one, globe-shaped and loosely filled, to cradle a book or support a sewing project – eases strain all around. (Bought it second-hand for a dollar – that works too.) (I use, to count ’em, seven pillows* for the better night’s rest, as the hips & back & mood can attest. They sure beat sleepin’ pills, that leave one all groggy & soggy the next day, (Calms Forte the most notable exception.)

So: sewing bees in the nursing home dining rooms, fortnightly – what say?
(*best fabrics for cases are satiny-silky-poly to touch. The more frictive type (flannel, corduroy ..) resist adjustment under blankets’ weight.)

Do let us know if some of you miraculously bring this from Idea to Actuality and write to hayesrowan@gmail.com

Have a kind and respectful day.

When you are standing alone in the hospital waiting room and don’t know what to do next, you can call me.

I remember when my mom was dying and I was sitting vigil with her in the hospital on the last day of her life. My brother, who I was close to, said to me, “There really ought to be someone who can help people with this.” And what he meant by “this”, it was the dying process. I said to him, “This is what I do, I am a hospice volunteer.” My brother knew me very well and knew that I worked with the dying, but he couldn’t imagine what that meant. And if he couldn’t imagine what a hospice worker does, then a lot of people may be confused or unsure.

But it is not just hospice that people have questions about. There are so many new things to deal with when a loved one is sick. There are specialists who can help you make your home safer for the patient, help you with applying for disability benefits or help you make decisions about both the short and long term plans.

I get called by so many people, whether it is for help during the dying process, help with figuring out what to decide when the patient can’t speak for themselves anymore or how to deal with a conflict in the hospital. You aren’t alone. I can help you when you are standing in the hospital waiting room asking yourself, “Am I doing the right thing? What do I do next?” You can run it by me and I will walk you through it.

Have a kind and respectful day.