Open Your Heart To A Senior

True Stories of Seniors Helped
Mr. Och's Story Volunteer Carol listens while Mr. Ochs tells one of his great stories.

According to Carol Diethorn, Kenneth Ochs was a bit of a daredevil in his day. And he’s got the stories to prove it.

“When you’re 91, you’ve got all kinds of stories to tell,” Carol says of Mr. Ochs, who she spends time with every week as a volunteer with Open Your Heart to a Senior, an initiative of United Way of Allegheny County in cooperation with Family Services of Western Pennsylvania and North Hills Community Outreach.

“I used to be really active and was a tennis pro for a long time,” Mr. Ochs explains, “but my eyes became gradually worse and now I don’t see.”

Carol accompanies Mr. Ochs on walks through South Park once or twice a week and both enjoy not only the exercise, but the company. “Carol is really good; she leads me so I don’t traipse anywhere I shouldn’t be,” he says with a laugh.

Laughter seems to be a regular part of their routine. During their mile-long walks, they exchange stories of their lives and share advice.

“It’s funny,” Carol confides, “he thinks he’s the care recipient, but he’s really doing more for me than I do for him. I get so much out of it and come home feeling great.”

Currently unemployed and looking for a new job, Carol saw an opportunity to volunteer as a way to do something that gives her meaning. “It really puts perspective on things,” she says of her experience with Mr. Ochs and other seniors she drives to doctors’ appointments. “Who needs anti-depressants?” she jokes but quickly takes a serious turn, “It brings a lot of joy in my life.”

“It’s a fine organization,” Mr. Ochs volunteers, “I can’t say enough about it.” Given enough time and his penchant for storytelling, though, he probably could.

John's Story
John K. of Shaler contacted us about his interest in volunteering after he heard about the program on WORD-FM. On February 16, he attended a training session and learned about our immediate need for help with snow shoveling. Specifically, Violet, an 89-year-old woman living alone in the North Hills, needed someone to shovel her driveway and sidewalk so that her home nurse could reach her house. Eager to get involved, John immediately volunteered to help and went to her house the very next day. He got her all shoveled out so that her home nurse could resume the visits. John is still volunteering and making a big difference for seniors in his community.

Another Winter Story
An 87-year-old woman lives alone in Knoxville (PA) and has no local family. She called us because she was trapped in her house due to the heavy snowfall. Her front awning, laden with snow, was sagging over the front porch and blocking the door. She was running low on food and was concerned that Meals on Wheels would not be able to deliver to her. We didn't have a volunteer who could help right away, so we called the Mt. Oliver Fire Department and explained the woman's predicament. The firefighters were happy to help and sent four people to shovel her walk and take care of her awning. They also brought her dinner from their Lenten fish fry later that evening!