VICTORIAN ORDER
of NURSES

VON volunteer Sharon Schmidt relaxes at the home of Ann Labanovich before heading out for lunch and a visit to the shopping mall.

Volunteers help make life a
little more meaningful

Sharon Schmidt says that she would be lost if she wasn’t volunteering. “That would be a huge part of my life gone,” says the Scugog Island resident.

Sharon’s volunteer resume includes stints as a Brownie and Girl Guide leader, along with other community initiatives, but her most recent volunteer experience in Port Perry involves seniors, fitness and warm friendships.

Sharon has volunteered for more than five years with the Durham Region VON (Victorian Order of Nurses), including with their SMART (Seniors Maintaining Active Roles Together) program. The VON operates SMART, as one of their offerings to the community, a fitness program to keep seniors moving.

“When a lot of people hear VON they assume we do strictly nursing,” says Cheryl Genereaux, VON’s coordinator of community support for the Durham region. “But we offer a variety of different community support programs. We’re very innovative and if there’s an unmet need in the community, we strive to respond.”

The SMART program, which brings seniors out for a gentle, hour-long exercise class in Beaverton or Sunderland, or brings a trained fitness volunteer right into the homes of seniors who can not easily get out on their own, was a response to just such a need.

“Statistics Canada reports that 61 percent of seniors are inactive, or deemed as inactive, which puts them at increased risk for chronic diseases like diabetes, and increased risk of falling,” explains Cheryl.

“Through our research, VON discovered three main barriers to seniors participating in fitness: cost, transportation and health issues. We developed the SMART program to overcome them.” And VON relies on volunteers like Sharon to help run them.

“Sharon is very dedicated to the clients. One woman called her an angel. Volunteers doing this kind of work sometimes go unrecognized because people don’t actually see them doing the work,” says Cheryl. “Volunteers don’t need a background in fitness, but they must be compassionate, and a good listener, because it’s a much needed social visit as well.”

In fact, when the 12 week SMART program ended for the two women Sharon was working with, she continued on as a Friendly Visitor, another key VON program in the area.

“They were both upset their time was up, and wanted to be put on the Friendly Visitor program, and so they’ve become wonderful friends,” says Sharon.
“One lady who is on her own, I spend about four or five hours with every two weeks. We go to the mall, have lunch. She’s amazing, the most amazing lady, sharp as a tack, we just laugh and have a wonderful time together.

The other lady I visit twice a month, for an hour or two, and even visit with her husband at the same time. He’s 92 (years old) or so.”

Sharon, a young senior of 66 years of age, receives as much or more as she gives from her volunteer work with the VON.” I get more out of it then I put into it I tell you. Older people just have so much wisdom and so much to share.”

Joan Crawford is a SMART program coordinator, and she agrees with Sharon.
“When you’re dealing with seniors, you learn so much about life from them, through their life stories, and what conditions people have to live with. It’s very encouraging. It’s almost humbling. The volunteers get that human interaction and it makes them feel good, because they’re helping another human being.”

The Durham Region VON has a long list of seniors just waiting for SMART volunteers.

By Karen Stiller
Focus on Scugog
Photo by J. Peter Hvidsten