A Poem with a gentle reminder of who we are serving.

My dear girl, the day you see I'm getting old, I ask you to please be patient, but most of all, try to understand what I'm going through. If when we talk, I repeat the same thing a thousand times, don't interrupt to say: "You said the same thing a minute ago"... Just listen, please. Try to remember the times when you were little and I would read the same story night after night until you would fall asleep.

Respect Your Elders: Mrs. Smith vs. Sweetie

This article would be great for volunteers and anyone working with NNC.

An interesting article in the spring edition of Aging Well magazine explored the significance of addressing elders in a respectful way. That means no “elderspeak” – as Dr. Ira Rosofsky, the article’s author puts it – “the old-age analog of baby talk” (using words like sweetie, honey, dear, etc.).

As to whether or not you should call the elder by their first name, Dr. Rosofsky believes one should begin by addressing them as Mrs., Ms. or Mr. Smith, and continue calling them as such until they tell you otherwise. If they never say, “Please just call me John, or Nancy,” then Mr. Jones, or Ms. Wright, is the thing to say.