Area Residential Care
Gabby Waddick Period Two
What does A.R.C. do
Why A.R.C.
Employees Participate in Vocational Programs
Volunteer Responsibilities
Snowball Dance
DayHaB
Life Choices
Amy, a woman in her mid to late fifties was sitting in the corner of the couch when I first walked in, and none of the staff were really interacting with her. I asked Jennifer, one of the staff, what her name was and she told me that it was Amy, but that she didn't talk to anyone really, as she could communicate but with only short responses. Amy had her eyes surgically removed years before due to a long and painful chain of infections to the point of damaging her eyes beyond repair, and while she could hear she used a hearing aid and still had trouble hearing. Amy has no family to care for her, as her parents put her in the program years ago and haven't seen her in more than two years. It's because of these disabilities that the staff often let her sit and only got her up to go to the bathroom. I picked out a cat magazine, (who doesn't love kittens?) and read to Amy for about an hour each day I was in Life Choices. I was hoping for a response from her, even a simple head shake. I received none, Amy sat still both times I read to her, and did not respond to my questions.
It wasn't until the last five minutes of my last day at ARC that I finally got a response from Amy. I was hugging the clients on my way out, thanking them for letting me visit, and telling them I would try and visit again, I went to sit next to Amy to tell her I was leaving. As I got up from the couch Amy grabbed my arm, so I sat down next to her, and she put her head and my lap and while she cannot physically cry she whimpered and repeatedly said no. Which of course, being the emotional baby this clientele makes me, caused me to tear up too. When I had rubbed her back enough to calm down I finally made my way out, which is when Jennifer told me that Amy has never been emotionally caring for anyone in the way she had displayed. Which of course made me start the waterworks as I went straight to the Human Resources to get my official long term volunteer application.