Pauline Campbell teaches piano, and one day as she was helping a student play a simple Beethoven composition, the girl asked Campbell if she knew Beethoven.
"Oh my, no," said Campbell. "He lived more than 200 years ago."
"Didn't you even know him as a little girl?" asked the student.
Some days, says Campbell, who is in her 90s, she feels almost that old. Life gets harder. Things that used to be simple aren't.
Still, Campbell, who has been a widow for 18 years, gets along pretty well. "I'm grateful for my good health. I walk fast and do aerobics. I have a VCR, and I put in the tape and go to work."
But there are things she can't do. Driving, for example. "My son says nobody should drive past age 90." Errands take longer. Yard work is harder.
That's where JoAnn Hunter comes in. As a neighborhood volunteer, Hunter frequently visits with Campbell, helps assess her needs. She drives Campbell to the Salt Lake Temple once a week, where Campbell plays the piano.
"We planted some flowers. We hung up a hummingbird feeder. Sometimes those little things can make a big difference in quality of life."
Social scientists and others call it "aging in place" — the ability of an elderly population, people like Campbell, to stay in familiar surroundings as they grow older.
That elderly population simply calls it "home."
There's no denying the fact that most older people would like to stay in their homes as long as possible. But there's also no question that as people grow older and circumstances change, it gets harder and harder to remain independent.
Sometimes, a little bit of help can make a huge difference. Sometimes, all it takes is a good neighbor.
That's the premise of the Goodwill's Neighbors Helping Neighbors Program, which Campbell and Hunter are a part of. The program was established by the W.D. Goodwill Family Foundation and is administered by the University of Utah's Graduate School of Social Work.
With the help of volunteers, it is designed to bridge the gap between people who need some help but may not need or qualify for help that more formal aging services programs offer, says Nancy Kelley-Gillespie, NHN director. "We try to link them to services they are eligible for, or find and provide whatever help they need."
Volunteers — some are drawn from the community, others are students at the U. — are assigned to work with specific senior residents who qualify for the program. "Our volunteers are our eyes and ears in the community," says Kelley-Gillespie. "They help us determine where need lies."
Currently, the program is operating in one small section of the city: between State Street and 700 East and from 1300 South to 2100 South. "It's a small demonstration project," she says. "We hope eventually to expand. But we chose that area because it has a high percentage of elderly, almost double the usual proportion."
To qualify for the program, the seniors must also fall below certain income levels and have limited social support systems — a family that doesn't live close by or is not in a position to help.
Help comes in a variety of ways. A volunteer may help with mail or phone calls, do some cleaning, run errands. "Sometimes, just a friendly visit can make a big difference, " says Kelley-Gillespie. And when more help is needed, they can arrange for groups of volunteers to come in — to clean the yard or repair roofs or fences or paint, she says. "We work with the Lowell Bennion Services Community Center here on campus and with LifeCare and others. And we have some funds to pay for professional help if it is needed. We work with businesses to get donations or discounts where possible."
It's an approach, she says, that not only helps seniors remain independent longer, but it also builds a sense of community. "We're revitalizing the spirit of helping your neighbor."
And the volunteers get something back as well, says Hunter. "I just love coming to visit Pauline. She's so nice, so friendly."
It's the same feeling that Kelly Mabey, another of the Neighbors Helping Neighbors volunteers, gets from visiting JoAnn Knight.
"I enjoy being with JoAnn. I don't get much contact with people in the older generation. It's so fun to interact with them."
Knight is legally blind. "But she always has a smile. She's so kind. I really enjoy being with her," says Mabey.
This spring, a group is coming to do yard work for her. "I want the yard put back into grass. All I've managed to raise in the garden lately is a good crop of weeds," laughs Knight. The program also arranged for roof repair.
"It's so neat that people will come and help with these things. There are so many things I can't do that I used to."
Knight lives in the home that she grew up in. She left for a time but came back to live with her mother. "She had diabetes and was very heavy. She used to say, 'we'd make a fine pair of bank robbers. I can't run and you can't see.' My brother owns the house now and lets me live here. But he's in California. So it's not like a regular landlord."
Mabey helps with simple chores. Sometimes the two go for a walk; sometimes they just sit and visit. "Just little things," she says. But they do make a difference.
"I used to have a bad case of depression," says Knight. "I thought that people didn't like me. But I've found that people are wonderful. They just want to help. It's just so wonderful."
It's what Goodwill's Neighbors Helping Neighbors is all about.
More information
If you are interested in working as a Goodwill's Neighbors Helping Neighbors volunteer, helping with a group service project or looking for more information about the program, call Nancy Kelley-Gillespie at 581-5162.
E-mail: carma@desnews.com