St. Mary's Hospital Foundation

St. Mary's Senior Programs are SO much more than just "programs".
Each day Foster Grandparents are in classrooms and day cares tutoring local children. Senior Companions are out providing transportation and friendship to seniors who can no longer drive. Dedicated volunteers deliver hot meals to 300 home bound seniors with the Gray Gourmet Program. More mobile seniors share a noontime meal at area senior centers. An investment in St. Mary's Senior Programs reaches those who need us most.

Testimonials

Testimonial - Foster Grandparent Program -
"Alzheimer's."
That one word stopped her in her tracks and turned her life upside-down. Everything she had known was about to change: her job, where she lived, her financial situation - all were impacted by his diagnosis. She didn't know how quickly it would progress, but she knew that it would eventually take him from her.
She moved to Colorado to be closer to family, who might be able to support her as she cared for him. She stayed home with him, lovingly tending to his needs, encouraging him to remain active. When things got too hard for her to handle by herself, they had already made arrangements for him to move into a memory-care home.
Then the kids moved away. She found herself increasingly restless. A retired teacher, she longed to be back in the classroom, but updating her licensing in Colorado would be more timely and expensive than she could handle.
She turned to the Foster Grandparent Program.
She saw a way to work with kids - a welcome distraction from the emotional and mental strain of slowly losing her soulmate. She immersed herself in her 15 hours of volunteering, balancing caring for him with caring for herself. The love and hugs she got from the kids recharged her, allowing her to feel a bit like her old self, back in the classroom and before he got sick.
Then changes hit the healthcare system, and suddenly, he needed to move back home, and she needed to care for him full-time. Tearfully, she tendered her resignation with the Foster Grandparent Program, as she searched for any forms of aide she could apply for. She has only been gone a couple of weeks, yet she has called a couple of times to check in.
I share this story because it is a strong example of what makes our Program necessary - from the Volunteer's perspective. She was able to use her knowledge and skills to help children progress academically - something she was used to doing before retirement. The modest stipend helped her make ends meet, as her limited resources were being depleted by increasing medical costs. The daily, personal interactions made her feel "normal" again, reminding her at her lowest times that there are people who care about her, even as she feels like she's giving the last of herself to others. And when we check in with her, it helps her know that she is not being "forgotten," even on the hardest of days.