Lakeview Seniors Bingo

Location: Lakeview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

Date: Monday, January 14, 2013; 6:30 pm-7:45 pm

Having successfully navigated an evening of Bingo at Imperial Nursing Home, I signed up for the same at Lakeview.  While at work that day I learned that my colleague Kendra was also participating that evening, which was great since I had always felt that it was more fun to do a project with friends.  We both arrived together just prior to the start and saw that the 'Pet Therapy' group was also assembled in the common room.  With eager dogs, keen volunteers and seniors who are enthusiastic to get underway, 6:30 pm on a Monday evening is always an interesting time at Lakeview Nursing.  I was not surprised to see Wilson there for I was now beginning to realize that our paths were going to cross very often.  Kendra and I checked-in with Maureen, our volunteer leader and once the pet therapy group had departed, she assigned us to a table.  She pointed towards an old lady and said that she would require special attention during the game.  Little did I know then that this woman would be one of the highlights of all of my visits to that facility. 

Kendra sat next to this lady, whose name was Emma, while I decided to partner with the other woman at our table, Thandie.  We asked the ladies where they were from and learned that Emma was from St. Louis whereas Thandie was from Mississippi.  Thandie is a very friendly person who smiles a lot.  I complimented her on the necklace she was wearing and learned that it was a gift from her grandchildren, of whom she had plenty, aged from six to seventeen.  I enjoyed my conversations with her, though the real star of our table was Emma.

Not our night

Emma is cute as a button.  She is short and has silvery white hair which she had tied in a single braid, and was wearing a bright yellow pullover which highlighted her personality.  She kept talking about St. Louis and when we asked what it that she missed about the place was, she said it was the mountains.  I said that I had moved from Pittsburgh and I missed its mountains and valley’s too.  That set Emma off on a journey down the memory lane about mountains of St. Louis, thought it was difficult to keep track of everything she was saying with the game going on in the background.  Plus Emma never took her eyes of the board, even though Kendra was assisting her.  If I have said it once, I will say it again; these folk take their Bingo very seriously. 

Thandie looked as if she was independent and did not need my interference.  So I too was paying attention to Emma, who looked very focused and kept mumbling that she had once won at Bingo.  Tonight however the games were progressing fast and neither Emma, nor Thandie had won.  In fact, towards the end even the caller had started rooting for our table.  But despite our best efforts and good wishes, we had failed to win…the only table that had not called Bingo!  Thandie and Emma did not look bothered though, for they had enjoyed the activity, and hopefully our company.  We promised them that next time we played together, we would clean-up.  I had also learned that Emma loved dogs and since I was going to be back next Monday for 'Pet Therapy', I promised that I would bring over a dog for her to pet.  Kendra and I said goodbye to the ladies and left.  Emma had won our hearts.  I had asked if she had any friends in Chicago and she had once again started talking about St. Louis and how everyone she knew was from there.  “Well”, I said, “Now you have at least two.”


*All the client's names have been changed in order to respect their privacy