Island angels enhance life for seniors

How many of us truly realize what a treasure we have in the “Emerald Isle” of Vashon?

I am one of your “senior” neighbors, and if it wasn’t for the help from my neighbors, I would be in a nursing home now. Hearing and vision problems make simple tasks of using a phone and paying bills difficult if not impossible, and that’s not to mention the more interesting tasks of taking a barrage of medications and housekeeping. Since the loss of my driver’s license due to vision problems, grocery shopping on my own has been impossible.

We have angels in many areas here on Vashon that are absolutely happy to help someone in these predicaments. And for these angels l am grateful.

Terry at Thriftway is happy to call me on a certain day to take my delivery order since I cannot make the call myself, and Ken cheerfully delivers to my door.

Vashon Pharmacy has a service that sorts my medicine into those little dividers for me every two weeks.

The accounting firm of Lak Kanaly & McCalari pays my bills for me (for a fee, but once established the fee is very reasonable).

But most of the angels seem to congregate at the Vashon Senior Center. The special people there are outstanding in understanding our needs. The receptionist will call each morning to see if their driver should pick me up for lunch (understanding I am unable to dial the phone). The lunch they provide us is more that just the meal served, of course. Many of us need the social time with friends that we couldn’t have otherwise.

They help with the occasional things that pop up, too, like helping me to re-register to vote, and then to vote. They do what they can to help find appropriate repair people since reading the phone book or going online is out of the question.

The support groups they sponsor help get us through some rough spots.

And for fun the center will arrange “field-trips,” such as a visit to Northwest Trek, so we can get off the island too.

I thank God every day for these wonderful people who make it possible for people like me to stay independent and let me have a feeling of still belonging to our special community of Vashon.

— Florence (Sunny) Baldwin