Presents for Patients Spreads Cheer
Dec
15
Written by:
12/15/2009 4:04 PM
Spreading the word about Presents for Patients and the St. Barnabas Health System outreach to nursing homes, assisted living facilities and personal care homes.
Having members of the local Chamber of Commerce personally purchase, wrap and deliver presents to residents of their local nursing home? Watching often lonely residents receive not only presents but visits from generous new friends in their communities? How often do you see that happen? You have a good chance of seeing it happen if you live in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, New York or Tennessee. More than 300 facilities in those states have arranged this special treat for their residents and, if the leaders of the 26-year-old program called “Presents for Patients” have any say, the program will spread nationwide.
“Presents for Patients” was started in 1984 by the long-term care pioneer, William V. Day, president of the St. Barnabas Health System in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania. I’ve known Bill for more than 15 years and have always admired the bold, groundbreaking steps he took evolving a tiny nursing home in the late 1960s into a campus offering all levels of care, from skilled nursing to private housing, and including a professional theater and stylish community swimming pool.
“Presents for Patients” grew out of Bill’s thought that residents missing the warmth, fun and companionship of the season would appreciate the recognition, and local businesses, civic groups, families and others would respond generously. As usual, he was right. About 450 St. Barnabas patients received gifts and visits in the program’s first year, and more than 370,000 patients in five states have joined in since.
The gifts themselves are nothing fancy—usually items of clothing or candy and snacks, averaging around $10-20, although there has been the occasional request for a ride on a helicopter or locomotive — events that have actually transpired, says Nanci Case, the St. Barnabas vice-president who oversees the program. But the real gift, she says, consists of the visits from the community, many of which have led to ongoing contacts and friendships for the residents.
The process starts when facility recreation directors, typically, fill out information cards about the residents and their gift requests, and the cards are matched with would-be donors. One recent match, says Case, involved a Vietnam veteran who wanted to continue his interest in music with his own personal keyboard. A local jazz band presented him with one and went on to jam with him a bit.
“Presents for Patients” wouldn’t mind going nationwide. AARP, with its 40 million members, is working with St. Barnabas on spreading the word, and local media outlets are approached regularly to spread the word and share the good news with their communities. Interested parties for this year or next should contact St. Barnabas’ Debbie Panei at (724) 444-5521 or dpanei@stbarnabashealthsystem.com.
9 comment(s) so far...
Great story! Elders are often the truly forgotten during the holidays. We have a program in our local area (Tampa Bay FL) called "Elves for Elders" which started in Tampa for the indigent wards and now includes a few surrounding counties and additional seniors under some of the state/federal case managed programs in addition to those under guardianships. I believe in the 2 counties there were several hundred seniors (and younger, disabled clients) impacted.
For those that have families, the family members often struggle with what to get older relatives, esp. when in care facilities. We often answer those ?s for our clients' families and give them some ideas, but we also posted a general article on this a couple years ago on our website which gives some ideas: http://www.agingwisely.com/gifts-for-seniors/
By Shannon Martin on
2/2/2010 3:32 PM
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We participate each year with Presents for Patients and this has been a great success. The entire project has given individuals, business and others an opportunity to be more comfortable and more knowledgable about giving. However, it's not about the gift, but the visit! Great Program.
By Linda Carlson on
12/21/2009 1:33 PM
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Loved your post, Presents for Patients--what a wonderful program. And congrats on your retirement. It's wonderful that you are using your time to share your expertise with caregivers. I too have a blog; you can get to it from our website. It's aimed at family and professional caregivers and deals largely with practical help for those caring for persons with significant memory loss. I look forward to regularly checking your blog.
By Marilyn Christenson on
12/21/2009 1:37 PM
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Great idea for a program. We have a local hospital program called Andrea's closet which helps provide gifts and toys for hospitalized children. Good luck spreading the positive influence!
By Robert Allen on
12/21/2009 1:35 PM
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It is important to visit with seniors in personal care homes and other living facilities. Having a support group is necessary for a happy life. I am glad to see that the seniors have a chance to receive gifts from their local government personnel. This program would be even better with expansion, spreading joy and love to all!
By Ron on
12/21/2009 1:38 PM
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I love this concept and would like it to grow to include caregivers. Good caregivers are worth their weight in gold. To have someone who is patient and kind with your loved one is priceless. This Christmas I am in big appreciation of good caregivers. It really does take a special person to be a caregiver.
By Debra Jamerson on
12/21/2009 1:35 PM
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In the beginning of December I received a call. It was a lady named Stacy (never gave her last name). She asked if we had residents living in our community who didn’t have any family members here or may not receive a gift. She asked if she could donate some new gifts. She went on to explain that during years, she had been collecting items and now it was the time to give them away.
All of these items were new: some ornaments, chals, blankets, and lots of stuffed animals. We set up a date for her to come drop the items. A week later, Stacy showed up with over 60 new gifts, all individually wrapped, ready to go.
I sat down with our activities director, thinking how we could make this happen. On December 13, we had a get together of our residents. Our independent, assisted living and memory care residents were there. They got a raffle ticket with a number, these were to be matched with a number on each gift.
Our residents, one by one, started matching their gifts and opening them. The gifts brought lots of joy and tears to their eyes. The gifts were a true testimonial that there is still, people out there, who cares for others the same way that we care for our seniors.
Stacy took the time to individually wrap these gifts, find a good home for them and deliver them. I lost Stacy’s telephone but wherever you are, please know that you have brought a big smile to each one of these seniors!
By Sandra Cook on
1/6/2010 9:22 AM
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We do not have Presents for Patients in West Michigan yet, but hopefully soon. What a wonderful program! Our law firm does several goodwill projects annually and would LOVE the chance at donating our resources to this program!
By pmacounselors on
1/19/2010 2:48 PM
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Love this post. I might add it to my Apartments Blog and link back - http://blog.apartmentninjas.com
By Rick Pickett on
2/22/2010 9:39 AM
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