Get to Know a Resident
Follow-Up Visit and Get to Know a Resident:
• As a follow-up to your play, you can go back spending more time individually
with a resident.
• Some residents receive few visitors and would love to have you come back to visit and get to know them better.
You may already have someone in mind that you connected with during the performance, but if not, you can ask the Activities Director for a list of residents who would like more visitors.
See “Contact Care Facility Activity Director” section to schedule a follow-up visit.
You can find a list of questions or you can ask questions on your own as the Lord prompts you.
You Will Make Wise Friends.
- Residents have the opportunity to share their perspectives as they have lived through historical moments that have impacted their lives.
- Learning about history from someone who has lived it is one of the best ways to learn. Residents have a lot of wisdom, knowledge, and desire to share with others.
- Start a conversation. Touch residents on the shoulders or hands. You can even offer a hug when you leave if you feel comfortable doing so. Listen carefully while you’re spending time with them, this will make them feel valued. Your friendship will mean so much to them.
- As you have conversations and get to know some of the residents, you’ll hear stories that will make you smile, laugh and even cry. One thing is for sure, their stories will certainly touch your heart.
Margie Became My Dear Friend.
After performing a play at a Care Facility, I asked the activities director if I could come back and visit separately with those who do not receive visitors.
She provided a list of residents who did not get visits. I was able to form a relationship with a dear friend, Margie.
Margie was 82 years old and never had children. She did not get many visits. We talked and I read the devotional Jesus Calling to her. God connected our hearts.
She could not walk and was paralyzed on the left side. Since she did not like chocolate and I did, she would save her cookies and give them to me on our visit.
I grew to love Margie very much. She would call me to pray with her about things that she was worried about.
She shared with me that she would like to buy a home and live together with her niece. This seemed like an impossible plan because of her physical limitations. Her belief that God could do the impossible was inspiring!
At 84 years old, Margie ended up buying a house through a realtor and settled everything on the phone. When the Care Facility van took her to her new home, they asked which house was hers. She replied, “I don’t know. I have not seen it yet.”
This is what faith can do! Margie believed that if it was God’s will—it would happen. She moved in with her niece where she spent her last four years. I continued to visit her at her home, and it was a blessing to share and pray with her in her final days. What an example and blessing Margie has been in my life!
After Margie’s homegoing, her niece Jeanmarie Stiles shared this thought:
“My Aunt Margie’s greatest happiness was meeting the Contagious Joy team and becoming their friend. It all started when my Aunt was in an assisted living home where she was not happy. Contagious Joy came in and did a play then everything changed. Her outlook became brighter, and her spirits were lifted. It was as if Contagious Joy had sparked her faith. She believed that God works things out for
us if we trust in Him. Contagious Joy = trust in God and find happiness in your faith.”