Connectivity serves longevity, as the world turns, friendships sustained help us grow.
Throughout my career, meeting and assisting people of all ages, learning what makes them thrive and fade, and telling their stories, I have seen this play out time and again.
Senior Services Associates, Inc. offers a great program to help older adults make connections and grow friendships. It’s called the Friendly Visitor Program, and it offers older adults a chance to meet others of similar interests. Volunteers who think they might like to make a friend and be a friend to someone who is lonely can meet with Cindy Adams, friendly visitor coordinator for southern Kane and Kendall Counties. Adams interviews interested individuals, conducts safety screenings and background checks, and makes supervised dates and follow up interviews.
Ten years ago, I worked at Senior Services Associates, as the coordinator of the AmeriCorps Senior Program, and learned about the Friendly Visitor Program, and about a very special pair of friends, volunteer Peter Lowe and a homebound senior named Bill Sikora.
Bill is a retired computer programmer living in Aurora who has suffered from chronic pain and fatigue. Because of the isolation caused by his health issues, he developed social anxiety, making him an unlikely participant for the Friendly Visitor Program. However, a caring coordinator at Senior Services believed AmeriCorps Senior volunteer Peter, a retired toy company sales executive, would be a perfect match.
No one could have anticipated the fun that would soon ensue and the story that would soon unfold. Peter and Bill started visiting during the summer of 2015 and learned they both enjoyed building things like jigsaw puzzles, Lego, and Erector sets.
One day, Peter enticed Bill to go out shopping and they began building together. After Peter left, Bill decided to continue building and then realized that Peter needed to see all the fun he was missing. So, he made a video of the project to share with Peter, and before long, Bill was developing designs of his own with more complex ideas. Before long, Bill realized family members might also want to see his creations, and soon he was reconnecting with loved ones he had not seen in a long time! A story line soon developed in the videos, and soon the two men were posting their adventures with building sets on YouTube.
Before he met Peter, Bill was isolated from the world, but through their regular meetings, Bill’s stamina and sense of humor returned. The Friendly Visitor Program has been a wonderful experience for Peter too. “I have made a new friend in Bill. This is a really great opportunity for people, and it feels good when you are helping others.”
The best part of this story is that 10 years later, these two men are in great health, still visiting regularly, and their building projects continue in new and challenging ways.
“Recently, these two built four bookcases,” said Adams. “Bill has an impressive collection of over 500 books, and these now have a fitting home. The books are not just a library, they tell a story of friendship, ingenuity and the beautiful things that can happen when two people take the time to listen, build and grow together.”
Bill’s videos are available on YouTube at
www.youtube.com/@billsikora6832.
More information on the Senior Companion Program, the AmeriCorps Senior Program and other services offered through Senior Services Associates, are available online at www.senior
servicesassoc.org, or by calling 630-553-5777.
Personally, my joy is just in meeting wonderful people such as these and being able to write and share their stories!
Barb Nadeau is a freelance writer who has worked in public relations, as a television producer and an on-air host for television and radio, as a print journalist and managing editor, as well as in the non-profit sector networking among several social service agencies and service providers throughout Illinois. She is also serving a third term as an elected alderman in the City of Plano, Ill.. Contact Barb at bvnadeau@gmail.com.