By Judy Goddess
It's no surprise that older people have a harder time taking care of their homes. Whether it's weeding, clearing clutter, cleaning hard-to-reach areas, flipping a mattress, seniors often don't have the strength, energy or stability to handle these chores.
That's where "One Hard Thing" comes in. One Hard Thing, a project of the Golden Gate Village (GGV), matches able-bodied volunteers with Village members needing help with the difficult chores they cannot handle on their own. Mattress flipping, garden weeding and all those other good things will happen on Saturday, April 20. A second One Hard Thing day is scheduled for June 29. A fall/early winter date will be scheduled later this year.
Christine Ness coordinates the One Hard Thing program for GGV.
"Our volunteers help with whatever needs doing; it doesn't require specialized skills such as plumbing or electrical work, and can be accomplished in under two hours," Ness said.
Mainly they help with gardening, decluttering and organizing, light handywork and painting, and changing lightbulbs.
The Golden Gate Village, a program of the Richmond Senior Center (RSC), opened its doors in 2014. The Village helps seniors and people with disabilities age and live safely in the home they love and neighborhoods they know. All of the programs offered by the RSC are free, including One Hard Thing.
"When we first offered One Hard Thing, we had a handful of volunteers and offered the service only once-a-year," Ness said. "Now," she continued, "we have about 100 volunteers, though we're always looking for more."
Both the volunteers and the seniors are interviewed by Ness before being accepted into the program.
"We send them out in pairs for the volunteer and senior's safety, and to encourage new friendships and connections," Ness said.
Most of their volunteers are from the Richmond District, have volunteered for this before, and range in age from 30 to 80 years, although parent-child teams are always welcome.
Edward Kent and his high-school-age daughter were early volunteers.
"My daughter was looking for a place to volunteer and we found the Richmond Neighborhood Center. We started out delivering meals," Kent said.
When Kent heard about One Hard Thing, he signed up. Though his daughter is now away at college, Kent still volunteers.
"I live in the Richmond, and I care about the people who live here," he said. "Everybody I meet is unique. They're from all over, they're lonely and they want to talk. What an opportunity to hear stories about their lives."
As a volunteer, Kent has gardened, cleaned windows and offered computer education.
"It reminds me of when I was a kid and used to go help my grandma," Kent said.
Parent/child teams have included even younger children.
Patricia Wada and her 10-year-old son Ash, a fourth grader at Lafayette Elementary School, volunteered by devoting the November One Hard Thing day to helping 93-year-old Flora repot her orchids.
Ash, a fourth grader at Lafayette Elementary School volunteered with the One Hard Thing program to help 93-year-old Richmond resident Flora repot her orchids. Ash's mother, Patricia Wada also volunteers. "As a parent, I want my son to know that helping our community is a normal part of life, something we can always make time for," she said. Courtesy photo.
"As a parent, I want my son to know that helping our community is a normal part of life, something we can always make time for," Wada said. "Spending a few hours doing something tangible to help a local senior reminded us that although the world's problems are big, our small actions can make a difference for real people. Chatting with Flora, my son was blown away to hear first-hand about the world events she has lived through. That impromptu history lesson ended up being one of the highlights of our day!
"Volunteering for One Hard Thing was a memorable experience for both of us. The sign-up was simple, and before the event, we were told what task we would be doing, so we knew what to expect. Next time, I'm hoping to team up with friends so we parents and kids can work together, sort of a playdate with a purpose," Wada said.
Several times a week, 92-year-old Edith Leong walks the two blocks from her home to visit the Richmond Senior Center on Geary Boulevard. Leong, who has lived in the Richmond for 40 years, explained that she does not know her neighbors and "doesn't have anyone to ask for help.
She's not unique in feeling isolated. According to a 2023 National Poll on Healthy Aging conducted by the University of Michigan, one in three seniors ages 50-80 years, feels isolated. She's also not unique in needing help with household chores. Increasingly, programs for seniors are developing projects like One Hard Thing.
"My basement window was so cluttered with bugs I couldn't look out," Leong said. "The volunteer from One Hard Thing cleaned it." He also weeded and planted flowers in her backyard.
Mike Lee, a Richmond native and Realtor with Compass Real Estate, was one of the volunteers assigned to help Leong.
"I like the program," Lee said. "I like hearing the different life experiences. The jobs are not too difficult."
Leong was not the only person Lee was assigned to help.
"I've hung photos, done basic safety. I explain why it's not safe to hang anything heavy like a framed photo over your bed in earthquake country," he said.
Mike Lee is the third generation of his family to live in the Richmond. He knows and loves the community and wants to "give back." So much so, that when the volunteer he was paired with brought her middle school son along to help, and Lee learned he wanted to be an engineer, he arranged a dinner for the two of them with a friend of his who was an engineer and owned his own firm.
"The boy got all his questions answered," he said with a big smile.
Volunteer Ed Kent summed it up best: "It reminds me of when I was a kid and used to go help my grandma."
"One Hard Thing" is looking for more volunteers. If you are ready to give back or are interested in learning more about the Golden Gate Village or the other services offered by the Richmond Senior Center, contact Joey Yu at 415-525-2571.
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