By Marcia Siegal
Reading an ad in Milestones began a great adventure for Peggy and Kai Schroeder. The ad announced an upcoming breakfast event at Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA) to recruit volunteer ombudsmen.
"We had time, and were looking for something new we could do together," recalls Peggy, a retiree. So, they brought their best friends to the "Bring a Friend to Breakfast" event — each other.
Both Peggy and Kai, who was planning to retire, were veteran volunteers. As the relative of a Methodist minister, Peggy had followed a tradition of doing for others. Kai had previously volunteered for CONTACT, a crisis hotline.
During the breakfast, they learned more about the volunteer ombudsman program in which trained volunteers make regular visits to residents in long-term care facilities and advocate on their behalf.
An estimated 13,400 residents live in 340 Philadelphia long-term care facilities, including nursing, personal care and domiciliary care homes; and participate in adult day centers, according to Lynda Pickett, PCA ombudsman manager.
PCA administers the program in the city as part of an initiative, implemented through the state's Area Agencies on Aging, to recruit and train volunteer
advocates for elders in long-term care.
The agency contracts with the Neighborhood Interfaith Movement (NIM) and the Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly (CARIE) to operate the ombudsman volunteer program.
Residents' concerns can range from quality of care or treatment issues to questions about billing or charges, appeals about changes in care, services and more.
After a training period with NIM, the Schroeders received their volunteer placement in 2005 at a personal care home in Roxborough, which housed more than 40 adults with physical and/or mental disabilities.
'Making a difference'
The Schroeders made unscheduled visits two to three times a month, and "within the first few visits began to notice changes," Peggy says. "The walls had been painted; there were decorations in the hallways... I could see we were making a difference just by appearing."
Talking with residents and staff, the couple learned about problems, such as building maintenance complaints and instances of residents being financially exploited.
As volunteer ombudsmen, the Schroeders did not investigate these issues personally but reported them to NIM professionals for follow-up.
"The Schroeders were instrumental in spurring investigations by state regulators and later the Pennsylvania Office of the U.S. Attorney General," Pickett says.
The home was closed last year by the state Department of Public Welfare due to substandard conditions and abusive treatment of residents.
Recruiting event next month
The Schroeders now look forward to a new placement at another personal care home. They continue to praise the volunteer ombudsman program whenever they get the opportunity.
"The work is vital, and it is so worthwhile," Peggy says. "The statistics are alarming. There are thousands of
people in these facilities who have no one to visit them or advocate for them, and there is such a great need."
PCA will host a volunteer ombudsman recruitment breakfast on Tuesday, March 10.
By Joe Clark
They called him Renegade. The name really didn't fit this gentle, loving individual. Before each “mission,” he visited the chapel and quietly stood in the back looking up at the altar. Beside him stood his companion, saying a silent prayer for 'guidance.'
After a few minutes, Renegade set out on his mission, bringing joy, comfort and companionship to anyone who asked for it. Many did. Renegade did his job so well someone wrote about him.
His story, “Say a Little Prayer, Renegade,” starts right there on page 103 of Angel Dogs With a Mission, a recently released book (New World Library, $14.95). The book details the amazing deeds and accomplishments of 20 dogs from across the country.
And though Renegade died eight years ago from a degenerative disease, the beloved Irish setter's tender story of his visits to St. John Neumann Nursing Home, in Northeast Philadelphia, was among those selected by authors Allen and Linda Anderson of Minneapolis to be highlighted in the book.
Renegade's heartwarming tale was written by his owner, Gail C. Parker, who lives in the city's Mayfair section with her husband, five cats and Katie, her third Irish setter.
Stopped at altar first
“To my surprise, Renegade always insisted on stopping by the chapel first,” wrote Parker, 63, a member of the Dog Writers Association of America. “He would stand and stare at the altar for a moment. Then, as if finished with his silent prayer, he would indicate readiness to continue our visits.”
One Saturday a month for 10 years, Renegade made his rounds through the hall and into the rooms of the nursing home, providing friendship and companionship to anyone who asked for it.
Knew who needed him
“Our job was to let people interact with us,” says Parker, an insurance company clerical worker. “Renegade was great at that.
“He knew which people wanted only to talk to us and admire him at a distance,” wrote Parker. “He knew which residents liked to merely pet him and which ones also wanted gentle kisses. He always had a sense of who needed to snuggle with him.”
Pet therapy was not Renegade's first calling. When Parker got Renegade in 1989, someone suggested she enter him in dog competitions. “I entered him in two shows, but it was not his thing,” says Parker. “He seemed to go through the motions just to please me. He didn't enjoy it. Neither did I.”
Better than a ribbon
One elderly nursing home resident was thankful they didn't. When Parker and Renegade first met the woman “she was kinda grouchy,” and didn't want to be bothered with either Renegade or Parker.
“But over the years, she mellowed,” says Parker. “One day, we were walking past her room and she motioned for us to come in. She asked me to lean over. She whispered in my ear, 'Thank you for coming to see me here.'
“That,” says Parker, “was worth more than any medal or ribbon Renegade