visiting home for the aged

Oh how wonderful of you to visit the elderly. I pray this will be a regular/on going ministry. I've both worked in a home for the elderly and visited several times as a dear dear friend of mine from church lives in one now. Dealing with the elderly - best thing I can say is be prepared to 'spend time'. One of the biggest problem with these homes is so many of the residents get 'put in there' and then are forgotten by friends and family. I know when my friend was getting ready to move to the home that was her biggest concern - that no one would come visit her any more. Spending a little time talking to them or better yet letting them talk to you is like giving many of them a million dollars. I had one lady at the nursing home tell me I was the best nurses aid ever because she could talk to me and she knew I listened! Another lady every day she would tell me a joke - and then tell me the same joke 20 times during the day but I always listened and knew the next day she would have a new joke. I heard several of the other aids tell her when she asked if she could tell them a joke that they were too busy or didn't have time - they never did have/make time. The elderly are humans and in many cases very experienced and knowledable - the problem with the homes is they don't have young people to share their knowledge and stories with. The friend that is in the home now is one I helped care for back in Feb for a couple weeks. She's a very social lady, served as a missionary in Africa for 25 years and when I visit her now she first has to show me a million things and what she's done with her apartment, and as we usually go shopping or something as we're coming or going she will introduce or point out this person or that who she's met in the home and several times has said, "no one ever visits them". Other than time/attention I would suggest 'young people' many of the elderly are thrilled to have children or young adults visit them - our church youth group have schedualled times when they go to the homes and spend a few hours doing crafts with the elderly, putting on plays or skits, or singing.