Rogerson House ADH, CitySites Highlight
At Little Brothers- Friends of the Elderly, we have a Highlight of the Week series where we shine a spotlight on members of the LBFE community including board members, older adults, volunteers, students, staff, CitySites (and more!) to learn about them and their experiences with LBFE. This week’s highlight is of one of our popular CitySites at Rogerson House Adult Day Health Program.
Taken from their website, Rogerson House originally opened as the Boston Alzheimer’s Center in 1997, Rogerson House was the first community in the Boston area to provide care exclusively to individuals living with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias. Rogerson House continues to be recognized as both a pioneer and leader in the field of dementia care by the Boston healthcare community.
The mission of Rogerson House is to provide the highest quality of professional care for Assisted Living residents and Day Program participants living with memory loss, in addition to support for their families. The physical design, staff training, and programs of Rogerson House focus on maximizing functional and cognitive abilities and promoting a positive emotional environment.
Below is a reflection from one of our Service-Learning Northeastern student volunteers, Martin Huang regarding his experience at Rogerson House and being a part of the day program’s Walking Group.
“So far, I’ve enjoyed my time at LBFE. I’ll take a walk with the elders in the garden every Thursday. Sometimes the manager will give me different tasks to take care of the elders. In the garden, the manager would ask me to help them water their flowers and so on. These are things I’ve never tried before, but I’m willing to learn a new skill during the volunteering hours.
In my opinion, the most valuable thing I’ve learned from serving at Rogerson House is how to talk with the elders. Although they may ask me a lot of repetitive questions, I can be patient when replying to their questions. In this way, I think I have some improvement with my communication skills and my English skills.
The most unforgettable experience for me was when I went to this group for the first time, when I didn’t know anyone on the second floor. The administrator took me to a table and chatted with some elders. There was a lady named Linda who kept pushing her newspaper to me to see what she was reading. She and I talked a lot and we got to know each other a lot. She was still telling me about the history of the area and the garden as she walked in the back. Of course, we also did some gardening together. Therefore, I think I had a really good time there.”
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