COVID has been bad in so many ways, but the isolation of the elderly has been particularly challenging. Even the most mundane treats like shopping at Dollar Tree have been eliminated from their lives. But in this time, there has been a reshuffling and serendipitous interaction that has made a lasting and profound impact on my 93-year-old mom’s life.
Every week, she and her caretaker go to the Wendy’s Drive-Thru in Concord to get a hamburger, then drive back to the Everett Arena skatepark and watch the skateboarders do wonderful tricks. At first, they watched, ate and left. As time progressed, the boarders were getting affirmation in the form of clapping or thumbs up from my mom.
She was learning their names and talking about their talent and tricks at home. More recently, she talked about the boarders teaching and encouraging a small child to ride his bike and how wonderful it was to see this group being so giving and loving.
The boarders like her too. They now greet her, do tricks to show her their skills, and then wave goodbye as she leaves. These moments are so special for her. She went a couple of days ago and a group of the boarders was painting and cleaning the park and the area. They mentioned to my mom that they were trying to save the park from a potential shutdown. Mom was devastated.
My mom has always been active in the community — heading the recycling committee in Bow, making sure the National Guardsman leaving the country had hugs, cookies, drinks, food and other basics for their leaving ceremony, belonging to biking clubs, Planet Fitness groups, church groups and art groups.
But at 93-years-old, she felt powerless. Her caregiver Erika, another do-gooder in the community, empowered her. They brainstormed and Erika posted on the Concord community Facebook page. She got many responses, but one was from Concord City Councilor Zandra Rice Hawkins who wanted to set up a committee to keep the park open and well maintained, and she wanted the skateboarders to be part of it.
Mom wanted to do more. What if more elderly folks would like to meet at the skate park and eat lunch, maybe play a few board games, or just sit and enjoy the fresh air? We’ve started investigating how to get a bench donation from a plastic company. It would involve the community donating plastic bags, something the skateboarders could collect too.
The community would have to recognize the potential to address a serious need in both our youth and elderly and consciously dedicate a place for that to happen. Maybe get a couple of picnic tables, and more than one bench so that there would be room for a wonderful mix of generations.
Mom went back to tell the skateboarders about her Facebook conversations and they were so impressed. She was energized and purpose-filled too, and for that I am thankful.
(Mileva Loo lives in Bow. She can be reached at milevaloo@yahoo.com.)