20

|
~ Sunday, January 2, 1994 - North Shore News

| LIFESTYLES
Give a cheer to our Nort

A BRAND new year. No one has yet set foot on it.
Watch it unre! before us clean and smooth as we ad-

vance the ne days.

‘ The year we leave behind us
clearly bears evidence of our.
“passage; ‘it’s a mess.”

'Butin amongst the welter of

“broken promises, broken ‘,

“hearts and truth abandoned
there are, in fact, some in- |
stances allowing for pride and
congratulation.”

-. People who regularly put
‘themselves out. People who
"give their time and never ask

ay

Demands on. volunteers don’t

leg in injuries, head injuries,” Foster
observes.’ “The’ growth in popularity.

of hiking and istimbinyy means that a
lotof Stanley, ‘Park trail-waikers are

“nihw, moving! into the North Shore -

“mountains, not always knowing the
trails,or the.times they take, or real-
ly. what they're Up against.” :

‘A parainedic

: Ambulance: ‘and ski patrol, Foster

sees ‘nothing “unusual in his ‘wilting--

ness'to give up both his leis sure time
and lost income." |

““T'love ‘the ‘outdoors, With my :

: background, this is just something I
can”: contribute,” “he ‘says.
” (Remember that those 20 to 30 call-
-.  outs:im an. average. year. almost all
-- occur on the 52 weekends.) _; :

“It’s a litte frustrating when we _

haven't spent New Year's together
in five years,”Foster’s wife Tracy

‘admits: “But when. it’s for people:
who are in need, that’ s all that .

“The ‘wives, the spouses of the .

‘Rescue Team are the support-sys-
tem,” Richard adds. ‘Tracy gets up
with the pager, fills my water bottle
and finds my long-iohns.”
is Katy, Roystoa, a veteran of hus-

a “band Ron's lifelong involvement.

“with ski patrol and rescue. volun-
teering, admits’ she no. longer
“answers the call in the middle of the

night: “When the pager goes off, «
‘Ron is already /in.search-mode
‘ before his eyes are open. He's very -

... prepared, he: knows where every-
\. thing. is, and if) you talk to him he '
‘growls and grunts,” she says.

ince. 1980, ‘with a
Fong. background. in,St. John’s:

for reckoning. People who
quite frankly love their

- neighbors.

Salute our many North
Shore volunteers.

They’re at it all year, a lot
of us have no idea, but they’re
of especial value during this
holiday time, when people who
ave confined feel especially out
of it.

The baking they used to do,
the visits, the smells, the secret
shopping and making
wenderful food — that’s all
past, now.

So when these cheerful,
lively, friendly people come
around to sing and clap hands
and change thie scene and
make them sinile, life’s a little
richer.

- I'm thinking particularly of |

‘those who make up North
. Shore Volunteers of Residents

in Care Facilities, -

It got started over 20 years.
ago in Vancouver, i in their
social s services department, and
in time was copied for the’
same purpose by energetic
workers in North and West
Vancouver, =".

Now it’sa ‘force, with the

“ “A bunch of’ the ‘wives got into a
bull-session one night; about what

it’s lixe to live with someone who

does this,” she adds. “You know,

come up with was the old-fashioned
pager that used-to have to be
plugged into-an electrical outlet..

' They were always plugged into the
- outlet you wanted for your hair-'

dryer. We figured that if that’s the
worst: thing we had to complain:

about, i it wasn't worth bringing up.

‘s “Yes, it ¢an be inconvenient snd
frustrating,” she admits, “but it

* ‘comes down to this: are you, pre-:

pared to say to someone's ‘parents .
or wife or husband, ‘I'm sorry, but‘
my husband is too busy. He. has‘an
important dinner party to: go to’?
I’m not prepared to say that to any-
one, ever.”

. During, the recent week- -long
massive, but tragically futile, search’
for.a lost hiker on Seymour
Mountain, Ron Royston repeatedly
cancelled meetings with an‘ impor-
tant client to manage the search. He

expected to be read the Riot Act.

‘when they finally ‘got together after
‘the search was called off. Instead,
the client, who had obviously been
following the search in the news,
siniply said, “Well, I guess we can

-get back to this project now,”

apparently sharing the universal
disappointment and grief.

Tf you go into the woods today,
‘or any day, be prepared.

: Don't ski out of bounds.

Know where you're going, how ~

‘long it will take to get there and.

back.
Leave word with friends about

. You are Innocent Until Proven Guilty.
1‘ Do not plead guilty before consulting an
experienced criminal lawyer.

. For more information call:

John Bethell

19 yrs. experience in
al areas of criminal law

299-5000 Talking
=> Yellow
‘Gisizis} Pages”

‘Call our office for a free 1/2 hour consultation —— 437-0461 _
. Greiner, Bethell & Company, ‘202 - 5501 Kingsway, Burnaby

“ poetry to herb gardening, ......

major purpose of ‘‘con-
tributing to the happiness of
residents in care, of making
them feel wanted and con-
nected.”’

Not just for holiday times.
All around the year there are
visits and outings and
workshops and craft sessions
and concerts and exercices reg-
ularly conducted.

Money fer the work comes
from the three municipalities
and the province, and also
from the federal government
which helps fund students us-.
ing their summers to aquaint |
themselves with working with
the elderly.

_ was astonished at the very
workman-like manual that the
group has produced, covering
all manner of directions from
which to tackle the boredom -
and iistlessness that can fall .
upon the person alone ina
home-care situation. a

Everything from Tai Chi to
sing-alongs to quotations from.
nething is rejected asa trigger
for encouraging participation.

As well, the volunteer is ad-
vised at length on how to ap-
proach, how to initiate activi-
ties, how to soothe and com- ;

_fort and make the very most.

of the visits that bring such |

your destination, route and ex)

time of return. Be sure to check in

with them when you return.
_Always pack more water, food

the most izritating thing we could ; and warm clothes than you think

you need. Jf you get lost, stay where
‘you are, j :

go

improvement to the lives of
shut-ins,

This manual is now the text
in universities and colleges in
both Canada and the United
States, wherever there is in-
struction in training for care
facilities.

Besides that one, there is
also a smaller volume, this one
intended for the use of juniors
who wish to learn to be of
help to elderly folk.

Lots of young people take
the in-service instruction as
well as spending. summer time
on extended experiences.
Divorce and diversity of life
have destroyed a lot of regular
grandparent connections.

The office for this activity is
currently in West Vancouver
near the seniors’ centre, and
wood-working goes on in the
premises, as well as bridge and
crafts and little concerts, and
some smail gardening when the
weather is suitable.

People drop in there, to help

if it’s needed, but also for
~ company and often for their’
own therapy.

It’s easier to talk about
what’s cating you if your

hands are occupied with san-.

ding a picture-frame or stir-

'' ring up some muffins. ;

And young people find it’ -

unnoticed

And count yourself :tucky, -|

because help will come.
The volunteers of the North

Shore Search and Rescue Team are’

very nice people; but you don’t

want to meet them, except to say

i” on the trail. :

h Shore volunteers

easier to find their way with
seniors in that sort of en-
vironment, too, where they can
be helpful but also listen and
learn to understand what aged
life is like.

Those in the group who can
sing and play make regular
sorties into a varicty of facili-
ties, and have prepared the
perfect songbook.

The words to 81 old familiar
tunes are laid out in big print,
so that there" sno excuse not to
hoiies slong.

Put Your Arms Arist ‘id Me,
Honey, You're the Cream ir .
My Coffee — I bet you're
humming the tunes right now .
~~ When You Wore a Tulip, °
Toot, Toot, Tootsie. a

Gosh, Take Me Out To The
Ballgame. os

They’ve got them all, “and

‘they go everywhere, and enjoy - ,
* them all.

A favorite place i is the’ an
Salvation Army, they say, and .

‘they love their June ‘trip to

Bowen Island. - I
But no matter ‘where they’ re
called, the response is always
the same: ‘Let's gol”. :
“le you’ Te casting around for.
a New Year’s resolution, .. .

" you’ve got it: get a life, be a

CORRECTION NOTICE:

‘In our B11-5 Boxing Day ‘fyer, ”
-G.E.: VCRs ° #VG4020 :: and:
WGI210 pl Photos, on Pegs 13. are’:

“3 CAN LIMIT? BCE EL ’
_ Effective 1 994. 5 1904 January 1 10th

On 1994 January {6th the volume of garbage which.
may: be placed out for pick-up at single family and:
_ duplex’ homes stiall nat exceed 220 litres per week.

The maximum’ size e of any solid waste receptacle i
shall be 140 litres and the maximum weight in- any ~
one receptacle shai be 35 ‘lograms (78 pounds). ”

one pail
of 77 litres
= one can

one garbage
bag: *
= one.can

one toter cart:
of 140 litres.”
= two cans.

: one blue -
box: J
= good idea

For information on n how to REDUCE, REUSE and: RECYCLE,
phone W.H.E.N. Environment House 926-5079, the Recycling :
Hotline 732-9253 or the Compost Hotiine 736-2250. . a”