An upcoming all-volunteer community effort will pay tribute to a generation of seniors who has sacrificed for the future of our country. Countrywide Companionship 2003 is a community service program that will offer conversation and social interaction to residents of local care facilities on Sunday, November 9 of the Veteran\u2019s Day weekend.
\nFor the fifth consecutive year Home Instead Senior Care, a company that provides non-medical home care and companionship services for the elderly, is sponsoring this important project. The company is focusing its efforts in facilities because time and distance separate many families from their elderly loved ones who are living there. A visit from someone who cares can provide a boost to their day and some simple companionship.
\n\u201cMany of the residents in facilities are veterans or have lived through the turmoil and kinds of sacrifices that we have seen this year with the war in Iraq.\u201d said Theresa Zurilla, owner of the Home Instead Senior Care office in Blair County. \u201cThis effort helps give back to a generation that has given us so much,\u201d added Zurilla.
\nThis year\u2019s program also is designed to support the efforts of dedicated care facility staffs by providing practical and supplemental companionship activities to residents in two hour increments from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
\nOne person who will benefit from this special weekend is a former Tyrone resident now living in the Hollidaysburg Veterans\u2019 Home. Only his first name was released in this press release. Tom has been a resident of the facility for over a year. Tom\u2019s wife has physical difficulties and can\u2019t visit frequently, and his children all live in Baltimore. Thus Tom doesn\u2019t receive many visitors.
\n\u201cTom is looking forward to this time of sharing and companionship.\u201d said Sandy Newfield of the Hollidaysburg Veterans\u2019 Home. \u201cI know this will brighten Tom\u2019s day.\u201d added Newfield.
\nFacilities can select from services that include one-on-one companionship and interaction; group conversations and activities such cards, music or crafts; or mealtime companionship and visitation. The types of services at respective locations will be determined by participating facility administrators.
\nThe need is great! \u201cSome elderly are sheltered and lonely because their families live out of town or their busy working and raising families of their own.\u201d said Zurilla. Others may be depressed because of declining health. Still others may be financially unable to seek out supplemental care. As a way of giving back to the community, teams of Home Instead caregivers will volunteer their time to do what they do best. \u201cThey give a boost to deserving elderly.\u201d Zurilla stated.
\nHome Instead caregivers are professionally trained, bonded, insured and experienced in the type of non-medical companionship care they will be providing to facilities\u2019 residents. During this effort last year, Home Instead caregivers donated more than 5,500 hours of service to the elderly. Only the Hollidaysburg Veterans\u2019 Home is participating in the Blair County area.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An upcoming all-volunteer community effort will pay tribute to a generation of seniors who has sacrificed for the future of our country. Countrywide Companionship 2003 is a community service program that will offer conversation and social interaction to residents of local care facilities on Sunday, November 9 of the Veteran\u2019s Day weekend. For the fifth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45434","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news-in-the-tyrone-pennsylvania-area"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45434","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=45434"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45434\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=45434"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=45434"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=45434"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}