Starting a new phase of life by giving to others

When my youngest child left for college in the fall of 2013, I said to myself, "Now what?" The past 21 years had been dedicated to my two children. Whether I was driving them to school, helping with homework, attending a basketball, field hockey or lacrosse game, making lunches or hanging out watching our favorite sitcom, they were and still are my life.

During those same 21 years, much of my time was also dedicated to working in the skilled nursing industry. As the director of admissions and business development for two large nursing home companies, I had the opportunity to work closely with patients and their families to help facilitate the transition from a hospital to a skilled nursing facility for either short term or long term care. I learned that there are many needs beyond the initial diagnosis. In this position, I witnessed the need for secured dementia units for patients who had a tendency to wander; I encountered the need for a secure unit that could also care for patients who had "behavioral health" needs in addition to their medical needs. These patients required a short stay on a secure unit, where physicians and psychiatrists could manage their medications until the correct formula was identified to control behaviors mostly associated with Alzheimer's and dementia.

In the summer of 2014, my position with a health care company was eliminated due to corporate restructuring. I again found myself saying "now what?" I wanted to continue to fulfill my desire to help others while also remaining active. Then it all came together — why not volunteer? I knew that the Alzheimer's Association is where I wanted to be. I called their volunteer coordinator, whom I had worked with in the past, and within days, I was in the office working on a 4,000-piece bulk mailing. From there, I moved on to other projects such as calling volunteers for upcoming events, manning a table at a health fair, working at the registration table for several walks and representing the association at the Baltimore County Department of Aging's Senior Expo.

Volunteering is a win/win situation. Volunteering has allowed me to feel a continued sense of purpose. No longer am I driving kids to school; instead, I am driving to a health fair or a fundraiser. I am no longer going to basketball games or lacrosse games to watch my kids; now I am driving to Rash Field to cheer on 1,500 walkers who have raised thousands of dollars to support the Alzheimer's Association. I am no longer hanging out watching sitcoms; rather, I am hanging out with other dedicated volunteers and making new friends. My "now what?" has become "what's next!"