Donating Time, Talent, and Treasures to Older Adults
By Laurie Kennedy-Malone
The North Carolina Triad Chapter of GAPNA has focused this past year on finding ways to give of our time, talent, and treasures to older adults in our community. Under the leadership of Shelby McGee, volunteer coordinator, numerous service activities were planned.
Knowing the impact of social isolation on older adults in long-term care during the time of COVID, we delivered greeting cards to residents during holidays throughout 2020 and into 2021 via our members working in long-term care.
Chapter members gathered at Food Assistance, Inc. in Greensboro twice in the fall to pack food for homebound older adults and donated needed paper products to the organization for distribution.
On a beautiful day in October 2020, chapter members participated in the Walk to End Alzheimer’s Disease and raised $810 to support research for the Alzheimer’s Association. One of our latest endeavors was collecting donations to provide stuffed animals to nursing home residents for National Puppy Day on March 23, 2021.
Knowing these initiatives brought smiles to the faces of older adults impacted in so many ways by the pandemic left us with a sense of gratitude to be members of a professional organization dedicated to delivering excellent care to older adults.
At our annual meeting on May 11, Dr. Tamatha Arms, chair of the GAPNA GeroPsych SIG and Triad Chapter, presented “The Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health of Older Adults.”
Twenty-one members from across the state attended the meeting via Zoom. On May 14, the Triad Chapter was awarded a Nursing Organization Award by the Carolina Nurses’ League at the League’s Inaugural Nurses Ball.
The chapter was nominated and chosen because of its contributions to the community, supporting nursing and persevering despite the COVID pandemic, and the education/support of nursing to improve the care of older adults.
The North Carolina Triad Chapter of GAPNA was very pleased to award its first annual Research Scholarship to Erica Frechman, AGPCNP-BC, ACHP-BC, a doctoral student in Vanderbilt University’s PhD program.
Her research interest is preparing for aging and frailty, advanced care planning, and comprehensive geriatric assessment. Erica currently works in Concord, NC, as a nurse practitioner. We look forward to learning more about Erica’s research in the future.
Laurie Kennedy-Malone, PhD, GNP-BC, FAANP, FGSA
lauriekm17@gmail.com