SUZY HOUSECOAT

Suzy Housecoat... IN HER OWN WORDS


My first volunteer job was with the American Cancer Society's Reach to Recovery program. It is a program that has breast cancer survivors visit with newly diagnosed breast cancer patients. It used to be a much bigger program, but through time, hospitals have been getting better at dealing with this sort of thing and now most of them have their own support groups and the like.

Suzy.... beauty, brains and a big heart

Over the past couple of years I've had very few calls. The ACS does a recertification workshop for us every year and that's always nice because we get together and talk about breast cancer issues, but as a volunteer opportunity, it's been pretty disappointing.

Next, I got involved in volunteering at a local hospital in May of 2009. I worked in their Heart and Vascular building with 4-5 others. We discharge patients, take specimens to the lab and run any other errands that are needed. Every once in a while, it can get very busy or even a bit dramatic, helping people get to the ER or even having emotional conversations with people leaving the hospital who have just gotten very bad news about tests that are done.

I really like the people I worked with who range in age from 50-87. The 87 year old is an amazing man - still very active and clear as a bell - great sense of humor too. The hospital auxiliary is instrumental in raising money for the hospital and has made huge contributions. This is the biggest hospital in the northern part of my state. They really depend so much on their volunteers.

And finally, in May 2010, I began to volunteer for a hospice program in the next state. There were a series of training workshops first, which I found very interesting and helpful. I was assigned to an elderly woman who is in an assisted care facility. Actually, she is receiving total care, at this point. She has 2 daughters in their 50s - one lives up north and tries to come and visit when she can, but she works full time and it is difficult. The other daughter has MS and is in a wheelchair. My patient lived with the daughter who has MS.

The daughter runs a business from her home and her mother helped her with the business and prepared meals, etc. The mother had been absolutely fine until having a sudden massive heart attack in April. She was hospitalized, in a coma, on a respirator and they thought she wouldn't make it, but she did and came off the respirator. She's not the same as she was, is bedridden and has short term memory problems. But she knows what's going on and is very depressed and worried about her daughter and her own health problems.

She has progressive gangrene of her feet due to circulatory difficulties, little appetite and is fading away. She is so sad and cries every time I visit. I see her every week and call her daughter after my visit. I act as another set of eyes for her daughters when they can't be there. My job is to visit the nursing home and be a support for her daughter as best I can. I try to get there at lunch time so I can help out with feeding her. It is a very intense and emotional situation. There are financial and insurance issues and all kinds of things they are dealing with. I feel bad for all of them.

Between the two volunteer jobs, the fact that two of my kids are living at home, caring for my parents, and taking occasional art classes, I am very busy! I can't say it wouldn't be nice to be working and earning a paycheck...but there are definite rewards to volunteering and I am very glad to be able to be of some use to the community.

So much suffering out there - so many people are dealing with awful things and going through it all alone...If there's any possibility that I can make a difference, I am glad to at least try. Not sure if all this would make a good blogging story. I am not a hero - just an ordinary person who feels good being useful. People are so appreciative of any little thing...

Editor's note:

I've known Suzy Housecoat for more than 10 years but we've only met through the words we've exchanged over the years via the internet. I have a tremendous amount of respect for her and what she's gone through in life. When she tells me that I'm wrong on something, I listen, because I respect her wisdom.

She is an amateur photographer and recently began  taking painting and drawing classes, which take up much of her time. She and her husband also travel the world frequently.


Suzy is a breast cancer survivor. She has had a number of careers. Wife, mother, and registered nurse. A few years ago, she went back to school to become certified as a science teacher and taught for a few years. And now she volunteers. When I asked her if I could feature her, she was reluctant, mostly because she doesn't think she is a hero, but is just doing practical things to make a difference in this world. She inspires me. I made some changes to her story to make sure the privacy of the patients she assists are protected.


Suzy Housecoat isn't her real name. She is in the Federal Volunteer Protection Program.

KUPUNA WITH ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE

KUPUNA HAS ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE... She doesn't know whether I visit or not


I received an email the other day. You know the kind where they forward a joke, or something. But no real communication. And, like most folks, I just delete these. For some reason, I read this one.

 True Love
It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80's arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am .


 I took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would to able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound.

While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor's appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry.The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health.


He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer's Disease. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now.


I was surprised, and asked him, 'And you still go every morning, even though she doesn't know who you are?'

He smiled as he patted my hand and said,

'She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is.'

I'm not a medical professional. Nor do I know whether the Kupuna with Alzheimer's disease knows when a child or loved one comes to visit. In fact, in my observations over the past 8 years that I've been volunteering at nursing homes, many can't tell the difference from one day to the next. Many begin crying a few minutes after a visitation from a family member, claiming that no one comes to visit.

And I do know why the majority of people don't visit a family member. The elderly with Alzheimer's disease becomes a different person. He/she is no longer a productive person and in fact needs care and handling like a baby. It's difficult to watch and to deal with someone who once had all the confidence in the world deteriorate so much.

We're also busy. We have lives to live and if they don't remember us anyway, why not visit once a week or even once a month, just to make sure the caregivers are making them comfortable? We have our work, our families and social events to attend. Visiting our kupunas eats up too much time.

At St. Francis West Hospice

I was at the hospice the other week and a lady had the staff wheel her mother out to the lobby where I was playing. Her mother had recently suffered a stroke but was somehow able to communicate with her daughter. I was asked to play something that Alfred Apaka had done so I went one step further and sang "To You, Sweetheart, Aloha" to her.

She knew Apaka back in the day and I could tell through the daughter that she was touched and happy hearing that song. When I got through with my hour and getting ready to leave, she again asked for that song and I complied.

On the way out, she wanted to talk to me and hold my hand. And I did. This happens a lot when I get through playing at nursing homes. So I have to make sure that I always have my hands cleaned with the solution that's provided so I don't pass any germs on to anyone. And all they want to do is to touch a human being. In many cases, they want to show their gratitude for bringing back memories through music.

Anyone can do this. While visiting, hold their hands. Just the human touch is enough. Some are scared and holding hands gives them reassurance that they're not alone. This gives them strength. And the assurance that when it's time to leave this earth, they will be appreciated for their contributions they made through life. It means a lot to them.

HOW TO VOLUNTEER

HOW TO VOLUNTEER... LET ME COUNT THE WAYS


My three cousins have been role models for me for many years. The sisters, May Okazaki, Ethel and Grace Kitagawa have been volunteering through their church, the Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin on Pali Highway. The church has many outreach programs for the community, including services provided to the aged. These services include but are not limited to home care, visitation, providing transportation for doctor's appointments, and caregivers' respite relief.

If one isn't confident enough to venture on his/her own, join in with a church that has community outreach that focuses on providing services rather than religious recruitment. Hospices are always looking for volunteers in all phases of providing support for those facing death. And, provide counseling for the adjustment period after the passing of a loved one. I know of many cases where a person goes into a deep depression following the death of a parent. And these people are so dysfunctional that they aren't able to leave the house unless they're heavily medicated.

My cousins even participate in a group that brings the Buddhists' celebration of the Obon season to nursing and care homes. Obon is where they welcome loved ones back to this world during August. After the season, they send send them back to their world on lanterns set in rivers, lakes and the ocean. The patients in care homes can't get out to the Obon festivities so they bring the festivities to them. What a kind and wonderful gesture.

May Okazaki, left and sister Ethel Kitagawa getting ready for their dance

They were having so much fun that I was getting ready to jump in and join them. But a well-placed stink-eye from my cousins kept me from making the usual fool of myself.

If you don't believe you have any talent where you can entertain, let me be an example of someone who can't play the piano or sing, but have not let that technical detail stop me. And I do it quite enthusiastically, by the way. I'm so bad, that I have to make up for my lack of musical abilities by performing as an entertainer and banter with the audience. And we all laugh together.

A few patients asked for a recording of my songs so I made a CD of 12 ballads and gave them out. Whether they wanted it or not. I'm fair that way. So they get to enjoy the music even when I'm not there.

Lately, I've been experimenting with slide shows using some of the music I recorded. I'm not as technically talented as others are, but I do my best, with the help of Adobe Photoshop and Elements. One of the husbands at the care home is there every day, caring for his wife. And he's always holding her hand and hugging her even though she isn't able to react because of the multiple strokes she has suffered. The love he has for her is obvious. So, I'm trying to get him to give me pictures of the both of them throughout the years and I'll make a DVD slide show using my recording of Godfather (Speak Softly) or Love Story as the musical backdrop.

Another pianist made a video DVD of ethnic (Japanese and Filipino) songs and put the words on the screen for the patients to read and sing along. The patients love it and can play the karaoke DVD every day and it's almost as if he was there entertaining them. So if you have abilities besides entertaining, like barber skills, you can still volunteer. And our kupunas will be deeply grateful for a haircut. They still want to look good.

Lanakila is always looking for volunteers, particularly their "Meals on Wheels" program where they deliver meals to the elderly who cannot get out. Hospice Hawaii is beginning a new round of training for volunteers in August. Here is a link you may want to browse through to see what volunteering opportunities are available.

http://www.volunteermatch.org/

I guarantee that it'll change you as a person. And we'll be making our community better, one volunteer at a time. I'll even bet that you may be inspiring someone else to volunteer, just as my cousins have been inspirational to me.

KAREN SUMIDA... A VOLUNTEER SUPERHUMAN

KAREN SUMIDA... KEEPS GIVING AND GIVING


There are some people who provide such a great community resource that I would be hard pressed to list all of the volunteer work the person does. Such is the case with Karen Sumida.

Most of her volunteer work was with the Queen's Medical Center, but she has recently increased the number of facilities served to include Kuakini Medical, Kahala Nui, Hospice Hawaii, Sacred Hearts Academy, as well as at various churches. Various non profits that she helps include American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, Kapiolani Hospital, Arthritis Association, Alzheimer Association, March of Dimes, St. Francis Hospital and the Blood Bank of Hawaii.

Karen volunteers at facilities where patients are going through life and death choices like oncology (cancer), heart, emergency room and hospice care. She does everything from helping with paperwork to visiting and listening to patients as they go through recovery or end-of-life issues. I wonder if some fake their illness just to get the pretty lady to visit them.

Karen also has a collection of awards, including the 2001 Governor Kilohana Award for volunteerism, 1999 Queen's Kokua Pookela Award, 2006 Starfish Award from the Queen's Heart Center, 2007 Fire Starter Award from the Heart Center and a Certificate of Achievement.

She is also involved with music as a healing process where she sings to the patients, dances the hula, teaches sign language and plays the ukulele and guitar. What a full life. And she  works for a doctor, Dr. James Tsuji and at Oliver Baptist Preschool, a preschool after school care service to support herself. Whew!

Born in Los Angeles, she came to Hawaii as a young child when her mom, a Hawaii native wanted to move back home. Karen was about 8 or 9 at the time and had to adjust to life in Kalihi Uka and Waipahu. Big culture shock for a Katonk....a person of Japanese ancestry who was born on the mainland.

Karen has recently lost her mother and takes care of her aging father who is likely in a state of depression over his loss of his wife. Yet, she plugs along with her two part-time jobs and all the volunteer hours she puts in every week.

Ever since she was a child, Karen has always helped those who were weaker than herself or in need and has continued that habit into her adult life. And our community is better for it.

Truly an amazing person.

ANN JAMES.... BUNDLE OF ENERGY

Ann has been a volunteer at Queen's medical Center for over 2 years. You can find her three days a week, busy discharging patients and delivering flowers and mail to patients. Always with that charming smile of hers which brings brightness into the lives of patients and staff alike.

A widow for 10 years, she retired from the UH press and decided to do volunteer work with Queen's because the attitude of the staff towards volunteers are always positive (yes, there are facilities where the staff members are not always appreciative of their volunteers). When you run into her at the Medical Center, be sure to stop and say "hello".

The volunteering has given some structure to her busy life and the many friends she has made with the staff and other volunteers has made it a very rich and pleasurable experience.

This tiny bundle of energy can be seen on the streets around Queen's going to and from home on her moped. When you see her, give a wide berth. Queen's needs her. The patients need her. We need her.