Cookie Decorating at Bello Gardens!

Sunday, December 15th 2024

By: Charlotte Hendrey

Today at Bello Gardens Assisted Living, I organized a holiday cookie decorating party. Last night, I baked two dozen gingerbread cookies. I got frosting and sprinkles, and loads of chocolate for my friends at Bello Gardens.

I tried something new, and I contacted the Children For Change organization to get volunteers at my party. Three volunteers signed up, which was amazing. When I arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that two of them were my friends from school! The third was a little first-grade boy named Carter (middle picture). He was super cute and helpful.

Everybody had fun decorating my cookies and singing along to Christmas music. Charlie (middle picture, to the left of Carter), could not eat the cookies because he has trouble chewing. I could see he was about to be upset, so I promised him that next time I would bring him a chocolate milkshake, which brought his mood right back up! I gently explained to him that it might be dangerous if he ate a cookie because if it got stuck in his throat, he might not be able to breathe. One of the guests told me that my explanation was “very educational” while smiling. I also played some Bach on the piano for Charlie, which he absolutely loved. He as always, began to cry happy tears, telling me how much he loved Bach.

While we were decorating cookies, one of the guests named Jo started to get confused (which is normal for dementia patients). She tried to urge Cesar (left) to come with her upstairs, and was mumbling about “people waiting for them”. The volunteers (my friends from school) were confused. I explained to them how people with dementia get confused, and that the best thing we can do it help talk them through it. So I talked to Jo, and found out that she was trying to say that she was hungry and wanted to eat upstairs. I went and got the care takers to get her food, resolving the situation.

Overall, my party was a success. The residents, and my volunteers had a great time, and I was praised for my baking skills! Now that I know how to get volunteers for my activities, I can keep doing that in the future. I am excited for next time.