Volunteering can be a rewarding and life-changing experience both for the volunteer and the volunteree. Just ask the many volunteers who donate their time on a regular basis for the benefit of the residents at The Kensington, like John Apicelli and Regina Weiner. John comes to our community on a weekly basis and plays Scrabble and chit chats with our seniors. He loves the interaction with them and they enjoy his conversation and how he challenges them over Scrabble words. Regina, Clinical Educator at Mercy College’s Department of Communication Disorders coordinates visits with her Graduate students to engage Kensington residents in one-hour, weekly communication groups. The students use reminiscence therapy, topical discussions, and cognitive stimulation to promote social communication among our cognitively impaired residents. The students gain an understanding of dementia and the skills required to work successfully with this population as speech pathologists in training.
We have over 30 volunteers who visit our residents on a regular basis, engaging them in music, reading, arts and crafts, computer work, and much more. And to show our gratitude to all these effective contributors, The Kensington sponsored a Volunteer Luncheon on May 7th. We had great food from our Dining Services Director and Executive Chef, Norm Fintz and his dining services team. And, each attendee received a special certificate thanking them for their time as well as a goody bag of fun items.