Cookie Decorating for Fall, at Greenwood Assisted Living!

Sunday, November 3rd 2024

By: Charlotte Hendrey

Today at Greenwood Assisted Living, I brought in my baked cookies for my elderly friends to decorate! Greenwood is different from Bello Gardens, in the sense that they don’t have a lot of people guiding or helping me. When I arrived, I set up on my own and gathered people without help. It seemed a little bit intimidating to be in charge of many people with no assitance, but I am glad that I did not give up. Setting up activities at Greenwood is teaching me about independence. Because if I don’t do it, who will, right? After I gathered a group of people, it wasn’t so scary anymore and we all had fun.

It was just us four girls today, and we made good conversation. The chocolate chips seemed to be a hit (again!) amongst the guests.

Natalie (on the left) pointed at the chocolate chips saying “ooh! These are so good! My dad use to make chocolate”. She then told me about her childhood spent living in Japan, and how she lived there because his father was in the chocolate business. Natalie taught me phrases in Japanese (she is fluent). When I gave her the chocolate chips, she responded saying “Adakimasu” (Japanese: いただきます), which she taught me is said as a polite acknowledgement for when you are receiving a gift.

When I told Natalie I had read some Japanese stories during the summer, she said “That makes me so excited!”. With her dementia, she forgets that other people don’t speak Japanese, and often will include Japanese words in the middle of speaking in English. When she did, a caretaker passed by and jokingly said “Ok Natalie we know you love to show off how you can speak Japanese.” But Natalie did not laugh at this remark.I could tell that she doesn’t have a lot of people to talk to in Japanese, her main language. People might not understand her passion and love for her original home and language, so I made the effort to make sure she felt heard. I let her tell me all about her life in Japan, and seeing the spark in her eyes really touched my heart.

I asked the ladies if they would like to hear me play piano for them sometime, and they eagerly said yes. When I asked them if other people have come in to play piano for them, Natalie explained how when strangers come in, she and the guests can get nervous. I told her that I can also get nervous when meeting new people. Then I assured her that I am no stranger and that we are friends so she would never have to be nervous around me.

As Natalie and I were talking, a cute little black Chihuahua strutted into the room. Jackie (in the middle) laughed, “He got out again!”, she said smiling. I found out that it was indeed her dog, and his little name tag on his collar read “Cricket”. Jackie told me about how she saved her Cricket from a peach farm when nobody else wanted to adopt him because he was black, unlike his litter mates who all had light, blond hair. In a way, I thought, this little dog represents society. Being different can make us feel unwanted or unloved, but when the right person comes along, it can make all the difference. I want to have the same impact that she had on Cricket on the guests living in the memory care homes I visit. Sometimes they can get lonely and feel like nobody wants to be with them, but I make sure that they have fun and feel important and loved.

Overall it was a great day. And although it was a small group, we still had the same amount of fun that any big group would have. I was able to personally connect to each one of them, and I am grateful that they were so engaging and talkative with me. I will definitely be doing more activities with treats with them in the future.