Nursing Home residents benefit from Otto’s Little Treasures

(Pictured are Terri Verkuilen and Claire, her 2-year old daughter, enjoyed showing off Claire’s Halloween costume to the residents and adult day care clients at St. Otto’s Care Center.)

“I’m really glad I took the time to learn more about the program,” Schilling said. “I had heard that such a program existed but I kind of forgot about it until I picked up a brochure at the dentist’s office and decided that it would be good for us to get involved.”

Schilling and Dean, her husband, have four children-Rebekah, 8, Breeanna, 5, Bethany, 2, and Mariah, 6 months. All have participated in some of the Otto’s Little Treasures activities for the past two years. The decision to get involved was, in some ways, easy for the Schilling family.

“My grandma was here at St. Otto’s (as a resident) and I used to take the kids up to see her,” Schilling said. “Prior to that, my grandma used to volunteer at St. Otto’s and I have an aunt who works there so we sort of have a family tradition of involvement at St. Otto’s.”

She continued, “I really think it’s good for the kids to be around older people and vice versa. It’s nice to see the elderly faces brighten up when you come in to the room.”

Verkuilen is equally glad that she and her 2-year old daughter, Claire, are participating in the program.
“I’m a stay-at-home mom and it (the program) affords the opportunity for Claire to get out and be around other people,” Verkuilen said. “She gets to interact with people other than her parents or grandparents. While Claire is not yet capable of doing a lot of the craft activities, she enjoys going to the rooms to visit residents. The adult day care clients are a little higher functioning and you can tell they enjoy having the kids around.”

Both women are strong supporters of the Otto’s Little Treasures.

“I’d certainly recommend the program to anyone,” Schilling said. “I think we could use a few more families participating. I know they’d enjoy it.”

Verkuilen added, “I wish more even people would get involved. They should know that the program is so flexible that they can accommodate any family’s schedule. An if, at the last moment, your child gets cranky or is having a bad day, you can call and let them know you won’t be able to make it. A lot of volunteer programs don’t have that flexibility so you end up feeling guilty, if you can’t make it. It’s nice to have a volunteer program that has that flexibility.”

For more information about Otto’s Little Treasures or other volunteer opportunities at St. Otto’s Care Center, please call Lynn Piotrowski, 632-9281, ext. 457.