Last year, Marge and John joined Lori’s Hands to get some extra assistance around the house and to complete their grocery shopping. John has Alzheimer’s Disease and, as his wife and full time caregiver, Marge found it was difficult to complete these essential day to day tasks.
Looking back, Marge says that when she heard about Lori’s Hands, she couldn’t believe the help that was being offered. Shortly after Marge and John joined Lori’s Hands, they began receiving weekly visits from Tim and Judy, who now regularly help with light housework and errands and provide companionship. Today, Marge & John say the students’ visit is by far the best part of their week.
Marge especially appreciates the companionship Tim and Judy provide because being a caregiver for an individual living with a chronic illness can be extremely isolating. In Marge’s case, Judy and Tim are some of the only people she has social interactions with during the week.
People like Marge and John are reminders of why having an organization like Lori’s Hands in the community is so important. Students help increase our clients’ quality of life, even if it’s in the simplest of ways. According to Marge, the student volunteers have “made life more bearable. They have taken a burden off of me and kept me from burning out. They do something for my morale.”
