Volunteers Needed

Volunteers are always welcome at Hillcrest Home in Geneseo. Volunteering is not only good for the individual who shares their time and love, but it is also good for the residents of our Home who enjoy meeting new people. A visit will show that members of the community still care.

Most residents enjoy visitors who like to chat or sometimes participate in a friendly game of cards or checkers. Volunteers with special skills in gardening, crafts, letter writing, and so on, can share their experiences and talents.

Suggestions for groups or individuals who would like to volunteer include:

Rehearse Before Seniors

When your committee, church, school, 4-H group, or Scout troop is planning a public performance, consider doing a rehearsal at Hillcrest Home, or invite our residents to see the dress rehearsal. Your group will get much-needed practice, and the seniors will appreciate the show!

For additional information or to request a tour of our facility, please contact Mary Thompson, Social Service/Activity Director or a staff member working in the Activity Department at 309-944-2147.

101 Things To Do While Visiting Your Older Adult

1. Talk about what you both have been up to since your last visit together…
2. Bring photos of family and friends-from days gone by or some recent snapshots…
3. Create a photo album, framed photograph collection or poster to hang up…
4. Make a special scrapbook celebrating your older adult's lifetime…
5. Write or tape your older adult's memoirs or autobiography…give copies to the family…
6. Share your own favorite stories and memories…
7. Bring vacation photos, souvenirs, maps and stone's of your travels….
8. Read aloud from newspapers and magazines to help your older adult stay in touch…
9. Look at magazines that have a lot of large colorful pictures together…
10. Subscribe to your older adult's hometown newspaper and bring it along…
11. Read religious or inspirational articles, magazines or books…
12. Read letters from family and friends…
13. Bring messages from family and friends recorded on cassette tape to listen to…
14. Bring a video taped greeting from family and friends…
15. Help your older adult write or tape letters or send greeting cards out to people…
16. Find a pen pal and help your older adult correspond with this new friend…
17. Create a poster or mobile from pictures cut from magazines…
18. Bring items related to the season or upcoming holiday to enjoy and talk about…
19. Have an indoor picnic with your older adult's favorite picnic food…
20. Enjoy a cup of a favorite beverage that you've brought along in your thermos…
21. Bring the musical instrument you play for your older adult's own private concert…
22. Teach your older adult to play an instrument…or learn together…
23. Sing…hum…whistle together…
24. Play "name that tune" with records, tapes or music on the radio…
25. Listen to music together…
26. Play charades…
27. Wind yarn together for a knitting project one of you is working on…
28. Work on a craft project together…
29. Try your hand at a new artistic pastime-like drawing, painting, sculpture-together…
30. Make simple gifts for your older adult's grandchildren…
31. Bring along your sewing basket…button box…toolkit…to organize together…
32. Build a bird feeder or house to hang outside your older adult's window…
33. Bring along a bird book and see how many different types of birds drop by…
34. Bring out the mending to do while you visit --- your older adult's or yours…
35. Brush, comb or style the older adult's hair…
36. Give a manicure---put on make-up-use perfume or aftershave to feel pampered…
37. Ask for help in planning your summer garden and look through the seed catalog…
38. Plant and take care of an indoor, windowsill garden together…
39. Create a terrarium to enjoy with very little care needed…
40. Play word, guessing and trivia games together to keep your older adult's mind alert…
41. Play card, table and board games together-lifelong favorites and new ones…
42. Keeping a running tally of the scores in your own tournament…
43. Do crossword puzzles together…or on your own to see who can finish first…
44. Do jigsaw puzzles…one per visit, or a 1000 piece challenge that will take some time…
45. Watch television together and talk about the programs you've seen…
46. Keep up on soap operas that your older adult watches and you miss while at work…
47. Rent a video tape to bring along an old favorite movie or musical…
48. Go shopping from catalogs for clothes, household or frivolous necessities…
49. Go window shopping in fancy catalogs filled with things you'd never think to buy…
50. Bring along a favorite recipe book to explore together or to plan a meal from…
51. Next visit bring a treat made from the recipe your older adult said sounded good…
52. Do some baking---or no-bake cooking together…
53. Give your older adult a gentle massage with lotion to keep skin soft…
54. Bring things to stimulate the sense of smell-spices, perfume…
55. Bring different textured fabrics to touch-silk, wool, denim, corduroy and velvet…
56. Set up a slide projector or hand held viewer for a travelogue…
57. Bring the home movies to watch together (don't forget the popcorn)…
58. Have children or grandchildren bring or send along school artwork or papers…
59. Bring a pet to visit…
60. Bring a pet that the older adult can adopt-perhaps some fish or a bird…
61. Start a collection or hobby that you both enjoy doing…
62. Find others who share the same hobby or interest and invite them along on a visit…
63. Do exercise together to keep in shape…
64. Read a chapter of a novel or several poems each time you visit…
65. Write poetry or a short story together…send it off to be published…
66. Look at and listen to an old-fashioned music box…
67. Make a "joy box" by filling a decorated shoe box with fun and favorite items…
68. Watch the seasons change out the window together…
69. Take photos of the changing season window scenes…or keep a window diary…
70. Keep a mutual journal of the interesting discussions you have during your visits…
71. Make a potpourri together and hang it up to keep the room sweet-smelling…
72. Tell jokes to one another---bring along a joke book if either or you need help…
73. Start a friendly, news-filled chain letter among your older adult's friends…
74. Bring along an old friend of your older adult for a special reunion…
75. Take a photo of your older adult to send to family and friends …ask for theirs in return…
76. Take a walk together outside when weather permits…sit on the porch or patio…
77. Bring along your children or grandchildren and enjoy watching them play…
78. Have someone bring their baby to hold and "coo" over…
79. Make scarves, mittens, toys or the like to give to a children's hospital…
80. Celebrate the holidays together with special parties for two…
81. Keep track of favorite sports teams…or place a friendly wager on the next game…
82. Learn a new word each time you visit together…
83. Challenge your older adult in a two person spelling bee…
84. Play along with the television game shows…or host your own versions…
85. Dance-or tap your toes to your older adult's favorite dance music…
86. Bring along a travel book or brochure to dream about your fantasy vacation…
87. Use some small rhythm instruments or kazoos to make your own music…
88. Read the farmer's almanac and keep track of which predictions come true this year…
89. Play tic-tac-toe or hangman…
90. Ask your older adult to share changing memories of the community over years…
91. Make a list of all your older adult's favorites---foods, movie stars, songs, teachers…
92. Decide what you both would do if you had one million dollars..
93. Design and make your own Christmas or other holiday cards to send…
94. Toss cards into a hat-pitch pennies-shoot marbles-play jacks…
95. Sit and hold your older adult's hand and lend a good listening ear…
96. Try your hand at drawing each other's portraits…
97. Blindfold your older adult in order to guess the flavors of tangy, fruit candies…
98. Recite nursery rhymes and children's songs from both your generation's childhoods…
99. Work on a latch hook rug for your older adult's room as you sit and talk…
100. Give your older adult a hug each time you arrive and each time you say good bye…
101. _______________________________________________________________
     (Write your idea here)