Isolation is a chronic condition for most elderly in nursing homes, especially in cold weather months when contact with the outside world is limited to protect residents from illness.
Meanwhile, Rotarians throughout Illinois and Wisconsin are trying to make a difference, thanks to the efforts of Rachel Ossyra of the Rotary Club of Aurora United who has been prompting Rotarians to write greeting cards to send to the elderly nursing home residents.
Ossyra, who has held several leadership positions since joining Rotary in 2011, met and challenged fellow Rotarians at a conference in March, asking for their help in reaching out to every nursing home resident in our Midwest area.
Ossyra, works as a development strategist for the Fox Valley Park District Foundation serving Aurora, North Aurora, and Montgomery. “Our mission is to make a meaningful difference in our residents’ lives by providing access to recreation and park district programs regardless of financial capability. I raise charitable funds to help our Foundation assist local youth so that all children have the opportunity to learn how to swim, attend preschool, experience enrichment programs, sports, and camps,” she said. “We also help veterans participate in fitness and wellness programs. We call it ‘Access in Action.’”
Her expertise lends well to her involvement in Rotary. Ossyra joined the Rotary Club of Naperville in 2011 where she served as a club president, international service chair, program chair, and public image chair. As an Aurora resident, she wanted to make more of an impact in her local community, and changed her membership to the Rotary Club of Aurora United, which formed last July through a merger between the Aurora Noon and Aurora Sunrise Clubs.
Through Rotary, Ossyra has worked with Rotary’s humanitarian network on global grants, both local and international including several projects to increase healthcare capacity and provide clean running water for an impoverished school and hospital system in Nsukka, Nigeria.
“In 2020, our Rotary district provided almost $100,000 worth of iPads to nursing homes and community hospitals in the Chicagoland area and northern Illinois to reduce the isolation of seniors, helping them connect with their families and tele-health providers during the COVID pandemic. The impact and feedback from the facilities was tremendous,” she said. In fact, the Illinois legislature subsequently passed legislation requiring senior care facilities to provide access to electronic communications to their residents effective January 1, 2023.
“We knew we couldn’t stop there,” Ossyra continued. “Over 50% of our seniors residing in nursing homes have no close family. There is an epidemic of loneliness, as many rarely receive visits or communications from family or friends. Since the pandemic, our Rotary district has encouraged clubs to engage in simple acts of kindness with seniors in their local nursing homes. A number of clubs have been regularly writing cards of cheer or local nursing home residents, including the Naperville, Naperville-After Dark, and Aurora United Rotary clubs.”
Each club has had its own approach to this project, sometimes providing sweet treats for staff members, or in Aurora by delivering hundreds of new magazines and puzzle books which have been donated by a local charitable organization.
Ossyra brought her greeting card project to the yearly conference of newly-elected Rotary Club presidents in March, and asked them to participate. Fellow Rotarian, Linda Yates of LaGrange designed and created more than 1,200 greeting cards at a cost of $320, which was covered through a local Rotary Foundation District Grant. Approximately 450 Rotarians participated in writing messages on the blank cards.
Ultimately, the Rotarians reached nursing home residents throughout northern Illinois and all of Wisconsin. Ossyra estimated that approximaely 100 cards are needed at each nursing home. “Locally, the cards were delivered to The Pearl of Orchard Valley and North Aurora Care Center,” she said.
“Hopefully those individuals who received cards know that someone is thinking about them and cares about them.” Ossyra added, “With a bit of planning and only a modest amount of resources, this service project is very easy to do, and it truly warms the heart, especially when it becomes an ongoing tradition.”
Barb Nadeau is a freelance writer, whose career has included more then 10 years as a public relations professional, 22 years as a professional television and radio host, print journalist, and Volunteer Coordination professional, networking among non-profit social service agencies and service providers throughout Illinois. She is a two-term elected alderman in the city government of Plano. Contact Barb at bvnadeau@gmail.com.