My advice: “You must find out what unrequited thing they still want to do."

     “Too many people lose their identity when they retire,” according Nancy Martin, Executive Director of Mineral Wells Senior Center. 
      For years, Martin specialized in volunteer management for senior adults.  Working for churches and senior homes, she learned how to match aging adults to the right volunteer positions.  Now, she uses these same skills to help clients at her center remain productive citizens.  Her goal at entering senior service was to “revitalize older adults.”  A bulk of her experience came as Volunteer Coordinator for retired and senior adults at both churches and the United Way.  Discovering what someone enjoyed when they were younger was a key to finding the right volunteer placement.  Now, Martin uses those skills to create a senior citizens center that gives her clients enjoyment and purpose.
      “The greatest challenge and success at my center is finding things that will entice people and keep them busy,” Martin said.  “I find out what people like to do, investigate options, and bring opportunities back to the folks.”
     Judging by the multiple activities going on at Mineral Wells, from knitting to working on the computer, she’s fulfilling her goal of “revitalization.”“Sometimes they needed direction,” Martin said, “It often comes down to what people liked to do when they were younger.  You must find out that unrequited thing they still want to do.”
      According to Martin, the self-initiators in life are the ones that are out and active--even in a wheelchair.  Others, however, will sit and stare at the walls.  
      “Their friends and family know they aren’t being socialized, but it takes work to find the right way to get them involved,” Martin said. “So many people in the population don’t know what to do with themselves as they age,” Martin adds.  “But it’s great to see the results of getting people back into a busy, social environment.”
      Once she finds out what they used to enjoy or want to try, she works to provide a
volunteer avenue. For example, the woman who wants to learn Spanish might be set up with a child learning English.
      Martin’s greatest joy comes in helping men find a good volunteer placement. “Especially those 40-hours-a-week engineering types who retire!” she said with a laugh. “Wives call me and say, ‘I’m going to kill him if he doesn’t quit telling me how to vacuum!’  Then you introduce them to a community or non-profit opportunity, and it can blow you away what active individuals they become.”

Interview and article by Amy Dee Stephens

Senior Centers provide programs and services for the socialization, recreation, and education of older adults. To learn more about the Mineral Wells Senior Center, visit www.mineralwellstx.com.