Inland Northwest volunteer programs step in when caregivers need a break

Depression filled Lee Hendrickson’s life after a stroke eight years ago.

She needed a purpose, a way to care for others and not dwell on her own health. That’s when she found the Senior Companion Program, run by the Panhandle Health District since 1987, while searching the Internet for volunteer opportunities for her Boy Scout grandson.

Now Lee doesn’t have time for depression. She’s too busy visiting homebound seniors who need a friend. Her visits allow caretakers, often spouses or other family members, to have a break whether it’s to run errands, have lunch with a friend or get their hair done.

“I’m way better when I’m taking care of someone else,” said Hendrickson, 65. “I love being a companion.”

The program, which is available in the five northern counties, needs more volunteers – especially men and people in Bonner and Boundary counties. Every county has a waiting list. Currently there are 55 volunteers and more than 200 clients. In Spokane, Mid City Concerns Meals on Wheels started a similar Friend to Friend program six months ago.

These senior companion programs are crucial because they help provide a social outlet and decrease isolation. The Senior Companion Program specifically helps caregivers, who rarely get a break or time to care for themselves. Nearly 60 percent of Alzheimer’s and dementia caregivers rate the emotional stress as high or very high, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. About 40 percent suffer from depression. Some statistics show that 30 percent of caregivers die before the person they are caring for.

Ruthann Coleman is living those statistics. She’s been caring for her husband, Lloyd, for eight years while Alzheimer’s slowly takes his memory and health. Recently she moved him into Creekside Inn, a memory care facility in Coeur d’Alene.

His angst got so bad he would pace the house, up and down the hall and around the sofa. He often tried to escape and the Veterans Affairs doctors recommended Coleman lock him in the house so he didn’t get out, wander and get lost or injured.

“Even the dog hid in the closet,” Ruthann Coleman said. “He viewed me more as a caregiver than a wife.”

Often he doesn’t remember her name or their life during their 47-year marriage.

Twice weekly visits from Hendrickson brought relief and joy. They helped Coleman cope during this heartbreaking time.

“She was just such a blessing,” Coleman said. “She felt like a friend to me and a caregiver for him.”

Lloyd Coleman, 87, served in the Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Air Force and is a veteran of both World War II and Korea. He was present at two atomic bomb tests.

His wife made him a scrapbook of his military photos, some of the last things he recalled. When Hendrickson visited, she and Lloyd Coleman would look at the book. He would tell stories. They would look at airplane videos on her Kindle, anything to keep him occupied and somewhat happy. He often would ask when his wife was coming home.

Hendrickson said a lot of her job is distraction. Many of her clients have Alzheimer’s or dementia. She does everything from playing cribbage and Go Fish to stringing Cheerios necklaces just to keep her clients’ hands and minds busy. Sometimes she takes clients for walks in the yard to look at flowers and listen to birds. The important thing is, no matter a person’s capacity they still need to connect with other humans, she said.

Hendrickson’s love of people and socializing make her a good senior companion, said Miranda Hoefert, coordinator of the Senior Companion Program.

During these breaks, Ruthann Coleman, 72, would be able to see the dentist, run errands or meet a friend for lunch. She even took caregiving classes through the local Alzheimer’s Association that she said really helped her understand that her husband’s frustration and illness wasn’t her fault.

Coleman is so thankful for the Senior Companion Program that she told Hendrickson and Hoefert she is considering volunteering herself now that her husband has full-time, professional care. She may wait a few months to decompress and recharge.

In Spokane, Mid City Concern’s Friend to Friend program isn’t respite care. Instead volunteers visit with senior shut-ins who receive Meals on Wheels.

Executive Director Mollie Dalpae said her team started the program six months ago after getting the results of their annual senior survey. About 80 percent of the Meals on Wheels clients said the only people they see on a daily basis are food deliverers. The volunteers try to socialize, but they are on a tight schedule delivering meals.

Dalpae said isolation leads to depression, which leads to other health issues.

She said it’s amazing how quickly the Friend to Friend volunteers are bonding with their clients during the twice monthly visits. Sometimes the volunteers bring their children or grandchildren or even their pets.

“It’s like the seniors were wearing really dark sunglasses,” Dalpae said. “Now we’ve taken them off and everything is brighter and possible. They have something to look forward to.”