Second Day at Terence Cardinal Cooke Healthcare Center

Not only was it cold and windy today, but we also actually woke up to snow this morning. We were definitely not prepared for it. Even with layers, most of us don’t have real coats so the cold air blew right through everything. When we got to TCC all of the staff was really excited for us to be back and we were all waiting around to finally be able to go back and talk to the residents again. We went back to the dementia floor to play a variety of games such as Dominos, Pitty Pat, Sorry and Spades. Before we knew it, we had to wrap up the games we were playing so that the residents could participate in the horticulture activity. Each of us went to pair up with a resident to help them make their makeshift chia pet using pantyhose, grass seeds, mulch and use different shaped fabrics to make a face. We were a bit rushed for time because the activity started late and we wanted there to be enough time to clean up the room in time for the residents to have their lunches. After lunch, we went to the auditorium to help set up the tables, chairs, and food for the birthday party celebration. During our set up, Stephen serenades us with his amazing piano skills and Helen joined in for a bit to which was really fun to watch and listen to. Soon after, some of us went back up to help escort the residents down to the auditorium with others continuing to help cut the cakes and fill up cups with soda. During the performance, we were able to sit down with different residents to talk to them. Hannah went and sat next to Shane and helped fed him some cake and ice cream, which was heartbreaking. At times there were many residents who were by themselves so we had to move around so that they would have someone to talk to. There were times when talking to the residents, they would often have to repeat themselves multiple times in order for us to sort of understand what they were trying to tell us. The cake and ice cream was very delicious! Overall, spending the day at TCC was an awesome experience.  We all enjoyed getting to know the different residents and hearing their stories and are looking forward to going back tomorrow to listen to them sing during the karaoke activity.

~Hannah & Valery~