Mary-Lou Raymant

"Socially it's always very important, and certainly at meals we could always use help," says Mary-Lou Raymant, a restorative care aide who serves as volunteer coordinator for eleven hours a month.
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High school co-op students, who attend Riverview to complete forty-hour placement requirements, usually are paired up with residents to play puzzles or games, explains Mary-Lou.Some residents prefer older volunteers because they can more readily identify with them, she adds.

"We really try to hook volunteers up with residents who need the most help, those who don't have a lot of visitors, or with people we think they will enjoy."

Students are also encouraged to take residents for walks, she notes, especially those who are inactive and spend an inordinate time in their rooms.

"It changes up their routine, and it's good from a social angle," she says.

Mary-Lou, who received PSW training and an activities in gerontology diploma from Sir Sanford Fleming College, took the volunteer coordinator position after it was vacated just over two years ago.With long term care volunteer experience of her own - Mary-Lou volunteered at the now-defunct Mary Crest home in 1977 when she was working as a secretary at GE - the position seems a natural fit, she says.