Senior companion 'feisty at 82'

STAFF WRITER

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Pat Adams may be headed to see a senior citizen in a wheelchair one day. Another day she’ll visit one who is blind.

As a volunteer for Portales’ Community Service Center (CSC), Adams spends four to five hours a day, five days a week as a senior companion, helping fellow seniors who need a little bit of help getting through their daily activities.

Staff photo: Matthew Asher

Pat Adams, left, along with fellow CSC volunteer Joyce Cox, discuss their plans after eating lunch Friday afternoon. Adams spends five days a week as a senior companion for five senior citizens around town and Cox is a foster grandparent.

“We go to the homes and help out those who need help,” she said. “We do different things for them, things they cannot absolutely do for themselves. Out of my five houses, one is in a wheelchair, one is blind. Most of the work pertains to home care, keeping the house up or going grocery shopping for or with them.”

Adams has been a senior companion for almost 22 years since she moved to New Mexico from Beaumont, California. At the time, Adams was just under 60 and looking for work.

“Every place had told me very plainly they hired the college kids in town for jobs,” Adams said. “I came to the CSC, they hired me the next morning. I’m really thankful that I can do this job for this long.”

“(The hiring age) used to be 60 (years old),” the CSC’s Victoria Gonzales said. “But now it’s 55. The main thing is seniors helping seniors stay independent in their own homes. The idea is to keep them out of rest homes.”

Out of the five seniors Adams visits on a weekly basis, she enjoys helping out Marcy, a lady who suffered a stroke years ago and is limited in her overall mobility.

“She pretty well has to stay in the wheelchair,” Adams said of Marcy. “She can get up, but a quick split-second later she needs to sit down. She’s one I do quite a lot for. I do the laundry, her dishes and I do her breakfast the first thing in the morning. She (prefers food) spicy like burritos or whatever. I’ll make her a cheese omelet and throw some hot salsa on it.”

Gonzales knows how fortunate she is to have Adams as a member of the team.

“I’ve been working with her almost two years,” Gonzales said. “Pat is just an amazing person. She never misses a day. She goes into five different clients’ homes. I’ve never gotten a complaint. She probably goes beyond what she needs to do.

The program is mainly companionship. They don’t go in to be caretakers. They can do light things like taking out the trash but she goes beyond this.”

Part of the reason for her ability to exceed expectations is her personality.

“She’s very feisty at 82 years old,” said Joyce Cox, a friend and fellow volunteer at CSC. “She’s three years older than me and she outruns me when we walk around (Greyhound Arena). I like her. She’s fun. Always positive about everything. She’s just fun to be around. Rather than being negative, she keeps your spirits up.”

For Adams, she hopes to continue as a senior companion as long as she can.

“I appreciate being able to do this job for as long as I’ve done,” she said. “It keeps me out of the house and keeps me active. God willing, I’ll be doing this for many years to come.”