Brightening up the life of stroke patient in a nursing home

My name is Johanna Massaar and I volunteer with the Community Visitors Scheme (CVS) managed by the Central Sydney Area Health Service. I have been visiting one particular lady in a nursing home for 12 years. When I began my visits, this lovely lady was not able to speak well. After a massive stroke, she lost most of her capacity for speech and became paralysed down the right side of her body.

I bring her freshly brewed coffee because she loves good coffee and in the beginning she used to greet me with "Ah, Jo, coffee." Now she just smiles when I come into her room.

Although she can't form words any more, she and I have a conversation mainly using sign language. She is also deaf and that makes matters even more difficult but I am amazed at her memory. I always bring my own cups to have coffee with her and sometimes I forget to take them home with me. The following week, she will gently touch my arm with her good hand, point to her drawer and make me understand that my cups are still there!

I used to bring my homemade Dutch cake in the beginning but now I can't do that any more. She has difficulty swallowing and the nursing home is afraid she might choke.

Sometimes, I come home depressed but, most of the time, I am glad I have been able to give my friend an hour of pleasure. We often just sit and hold hands. For a while, I could take her for a little walk in the garden in a wheelchair, but now she can no longer even sit in the chair.

I am glad that the CVS exists and that we, as visitors, can bring a little light to the otherwise not so bright lives of the elderly and sick in nursing homes.

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