Irene Isadore plays the organ for Cheryl Borne during a recent visit. The friends met through the Council on Aging's Visiting Service.
By Katherine Petersen
Cheryl Borne, 37, bustled into the kitchen and set a pot of chrysanthemums and a cake on Irene Isadore's counter. Isadore, 88, greeted her friend with a hug. The two met three months ago through the Council on Aging's Visiting Service.
Isadore, who lives in the Adobe Wells Mobile Home Park in Sunnyvale, has many friends her age, but sought the companionship of someone younger because many of her friends are ill and seek her comfort.
"Cheryl is a wonderful volunteer. She brightens my day every time I have the pleasure of her company. She has a great sense of humor and laughs at everything I say. You'd think I was a comedian by now," Isadore said.
Borne, who also lives in Sunnyvale, visits Isadore every other Saturday and the two chat, go out for lunch or drive to Half Moon Bay, where Isadore grew up. They walk by the house she lived in, which is now a bed and breakfast, and look at the flowers.
"She always says she can only stay a couple hours, and then stays for four. I know she has important things to do," Isadore said.
Borne countered that visiting Isadore is "very important," and she has Saturdays free because her husband works.
Borne began working with elderly people while living in Phoenix.
"I knew it was something I wanted to do when I moved here. I love it. It's so rewarding. It makes me feel good that I can do something for someone else," she said.
Sometimes the elderly are the "forgotten generation," she said.
Neither Borne nor Isadore has family in the area, so their friendship fills that need for close relationships. Borne said she wants to invite Isadore to her home for the holidays.
"She talks a lot about not having family, and I don't have children. This is perfect for me to be able to give time to people I really do care about," Borne said.
As is often the case, Isadore, a longtime pianist and organist, treats Borne to a concert before they share coffee and the blueberry muffins Isadore made earlier in the morning.
Isadore took piano lessons until her father died when she was 12. She then went to work--playing in movie theaters during reel changes, at auditions and in churches.
Her fingers fly over the keyboard as "Sentimental Journey" reverberates through her home and out the open windows to serenade her neighbors. Borne sits nearby, and Isadore tries to get her to sing along. Borne only promises to learn to play piano.
Isadore said she feels good for her age, but she gets tired. "Everybody else I know, besides pretty Cheryl, is ten years younger and has nurses to take care of them. I look forward to Cheryl's visits like little kids do to Christmas," she said with a grin.
"Miss Independent," as Borne calls her elder companion, turns away most of Borne's offers to help with pouring coffee or taking dishes to the kitchen.
"Just the fact that you're here makes me happy," Isadore told her.
The pair has grown beyond client and volunteer to a deep friendship. "Older people have so much to offer. They've already been through so much," Borne said.
The Council on Aging Visiting Services provides volunteers for Sunnyvale, Cupertino, Mountain View, Palo Alto and Los Altos. Betty Risser, a volunteer since February 1993, helps coordinate other volunteers.
"One of the problems is, all too often, they are alone, have few friends and are isolated from the outside world. There's no stimulation outside the TV," she said.
Rita Baum, director of in-home services, said there are currently 500 volunteers countywide from Palo Alto to Gilroy, and approximately 20 of them serve the north county offices. According to Baum, 50 percent of the volunteers, including Borne, work fulltime, their average age is somewhere between 25 and 40 years. About 60 percent are women.
Volunteers undergo an interview process, in which they must provide two references and go through four hours of training. During the training, volunteers learn to be aware of the feelings and conditions of being older and the "yes's and no's" of the service.
"Yes" means they are there to provide companionship. "No" means they are not there to clean house, run errands, give medication or write checks.
"We tell them the myths about the elderly, because there's a lot of misinformation about aging. They're always amazed at the things they learn," Risser said.
Clients are referred to the service by their children, social workers or health agencies. The services are free to the clients, but donations are accepted.
How to volunteer
Call 296-8290 or (415) 329-0888 for information or to register for one of the following training classes:
Thu., Sept. 19:
5:30-9 p.m.
San Jose Council on Aging
2115 The Alameda, San Jose
296-8290, ext. 3004
Thu., Oct. 10:
5:30-9 p.m.
Wesley Meeting Hall
463 College Ave., Palo Alto
(415) 329-0888
Volunteers are also needed in the following areas:
*In-home advocates assist functionally disabled seniors through the process of hiring in-home care providers.
*Care call volunteers help install home emergency-response systems or help with a variety of office tasks.
*Health-insurance counselors provide advice, objective information and assistance with Medicare, supplemental health insurance and other issues related to health care.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, August 21, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.