Bonner Scholars and University 100 Students Help the Elderly

University 100 students creating fidget blankets to donate.
Photo By Rebecca Hinkle.

Community service is an important activity that many people can benefit from and that can make the local community a better place for everyone. The work can provide help to many who are in need, but it can also provide an enriching experience to those who volunteer their services.

    Concord’s University 100 classes complete community service projects every semester. Some classes have written cards to soldiers overseas thanking them for their service, while others have donated clothing and shoes to the less fortunate. One University 100 class in 2015 donated food to hungry children, along with gently-used books to the First United Methodist Church in Princeton. 

    Open to all University 100 students, one exciting project that took place on Tuesday, September 13 in conjunction with the Bonner Program gave students the opportunity to help make fidget blankets for the elderly. Fidget blankets are lap-sized blankets that the elderly can “fidget” with. On the blankets there are buttons and zippers that can be played with, and other small activities that can keep elderly patients occupied. 

    The fidget blankets are hand-made and can be a fun, creative activity for everyone. The finished products will go out to local nursing homes. 

    The blankets can be especially helpful for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, and can strike people as early as their 60s. Early onset Alzheimer’s can set in at ages 45 to 50. It causes memory loss and changes in thinking and behavior. Many people think that Alzheimer’s is a normal part of aging, but it is not.

    Alzheimer’s can have troubling effects on patients and it can be hard to see a loved one with the disease. While there is no cure for Alzheimer’s, there are ways to ease the distress of patients suffering from it and provide comfort. Fidget blankets can provide a sensory and tactile simulation for restless or jumpy hands. 

    Hannah Jackson led the instruction for the project. “We are focusing on the elderly right now. We are going to teach about Alzheimer’s and giving them something to do that will help them with their triggers,” she said. 

    The project benefited the University 100 students as well. Students learned the importance of community service and the skills needed to make one of the fidget blankets so they can do it again in the future. Marty Perdue, a freshman and Studio Art and Graphic Design major, was one of the volunteers. “I think that it is important that we take care of our elderly and that we keep them occupied because if we do not keep them occupied all kinds of things could happen,” says Perdue. 

    While the project was directed to focus on helping the elderly it also helped the University 100 students to learn the important skill of sewing. “I have not yet learned how to sew. I think it is important to know how to sew, not only just art wise, but also to know how to fix a button or sew clothes if I ever need too,” says Perdue. 

    There will be more Bonner projects throughout the semester available to University 100 students. There will be 2 projects each month, and each will be announced at a later date.