A special edition of the student newspaper from November 30, 1998 entitled Friends of the Elderly: Reaching out to those who are growing old alone A special photography essay from The Columbia Chronicle. This issue is 8 pages.https://digitalcommons.colum.edu/cadc_chronicle/1408/thumbnail.jp

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Columbia College ChicagoDigital Commons @ Columbia College ChicagoColumbia Chronicle College Publications11-30-1998Columbia Chronicle (11/30/1998 - Supplement 2of 2)Columbia College ChicagoFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.colum.edu/cadc_chroniclePart of the Journalism Studies CommonsThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works4.0 License.This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the College Publications at Digital Commons @ Columbia College Chicago. It has beenaccepted for inclusion in Columbia Chronicle by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Columbia College Chicago.Recommended CitationColumbia College Chicago, "Columbia Chronicle (11/30/1998 - Supplement 2 of 2)" (November 30, 1998). Columbia Chronicle,College Publications, College Archives & Special Collections, Columbia College Chicago. http://digitalcommons.colum.edu/cadc_chronicle/409Friends of the Elderly Reaching out to those who are growing old alone COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO A SPECIAL PHOTOGRAPHY ESSAY FROM THE COLUMBIA CHRONICLE NOVEMBE R 30, 1998 T he P h otograp hy of JR.olberlt Hart "Hearts Starve as well as Bodies" By Robert Hart Assistant Photography Editor There are hundreds of charities in Chicago that feed, house and help people survive. Rarely do they give the most impor-tant and most needed thing in your life-love. Little Brothers/ Friends of the Elderly is a non-pro fit organization that helps Chicago's elderly with the basic everyday things that make life worth living: love, attention, and friendship. Susan is reading Ernest Hemingway's "Old Man and the Sea" to Elizabeth while the clatter and moaning lingers in the background of her nursing home. Elizabeth is now 95 years old, Susan 70 years younger. They have been friends for over a year, since Susan came to Little Brothers to work as an intern. They would stroll through the parks and Elizabeth would retell countless stories of immigrating from Germany, leaving all friends and family behind. She was animated and her blue eyes would almost dance right out of her head as she watched the planes fly by on their way to O'Hare airport from the window of her apartment. Elizabeth soon grew weak and stopped eating. She was moved into a nursing home and grew unable to speak. The only way to communicate was by touching Susan's face and the stare in her lively eyes. The first day that I was photographing with Susan she NOVEMBER 30, 1998 was reading to Elizabeth . Susan was becoming very disheartened because it looked like Elizabeth could no longer comprehend wha t was going on. All she could do was stroke Susan 's h air and hardly move her face. Suddenly Elizabeth pulled Susan close to her with her frail arms and put her lips together. In the coming seconds she managed to whisper, "Thank you." Susan could hardly contain herself, she was so touched that Elizabeth could speak a few words and chose to let her know how deeply she appreciated the time that Susan spent with her at the end of her life. Susan was also touched that Elizabeth had allowed her to share the time of her death with her. On Nov. 1st Elizabeth passed away. None of her family was there, only Little Brothers. Little Brothers/ Friends of the Elderly was founded in France after World War II. A man named Armand Marquise! noticed that in Paris many elderly were suffering and nobody motto, uFJowers before bread." This means most of their work is friendship and Jove, not just giving food, although food-bag deliveries are common around the holidays. Little Brothers came to Chicago in 1949; since then they have been serving the elderly in Chicago and helping them celebrate the joy of life, whether it is one of the 10,000 personal vis-its, the holiday parties, or something as simple as a ride to the doctor's office. Little Brothers NOVEMBER 30, 1998 I. FRIENbS OF THE ELOERL.X L1 f RIENDS OF THE ELDERLY NOVEMBER 30. 1 998 has changed the lives of countless people that have no one else to turn to. No one plans to be alone, but most of these people have outlived their spouse, friends, family and most of them are stuck in their apartment because they can't go out alone anymore. Little Brothers brings the world to them. Their volunteers pick them up and take them to holiday parties and when they can't go out they bring them holiday food and share their time. They bring them to weekly luncheons at their building at 355 N. Ashland, where a band plays and food is served by volunteers that then sit and eat with them. Their contention is that hearts can starve as well as bodies. Little Brothers is important now, but as the "baby boomer" generation ages, the number of elderly people will explode. "We are already starting to grow," said Tina Stretch, Executive Director of Little Brothers. "\Ve will grow 30% over the next two years." Stretch also said that Little Brothers is not just growing in the number of elderly and the number of staff that is needed to care for them, but that they are also making sure that they care for them the way a family would. Stretch said, "\.Ye will care for them until the end of their life." I have seen so tn uch love in the volunteers and interns that work for Little Brothers, it's hard the little things, like bringing an elderly flowers when they visit, or driving them to Jewel to cash their checks. It is the snu11 thinJ_!S or the "invisible" tasks that don't sccn1 itnportant that tuake up what is so special. Most of alia ugh, smile or "invisible" task. For every had story that we have to cover in the tncdia, every funeral, fire, and c.:ri rnc, this kind of project n1akcs rnc J{lad every d;ty that there are pcuple out there who care. They go to work everyday like everyone else, but they tnakc a difference in smnconc's life, smnconc who otherwise would he almu.· . NOVEMBER 30, 1998 FRIENDS OF THE ELDERLY tj NOVEMBER 30, 1998 5\Eout tliis Project I started this project as an assignment for Bob Thall's Documentary Photography class. In March of '98 I began photograph-mg every week . fo llowmg a Little Brothers intern on their dail y VISits. People would accept me. a total stranger, into their home just because I was wi th someone from Little Brothers. I went to St. Patrick's Day parties. the Dook Club. the Easter Celebration and the Halloween Party After shooung wuh Lutle Brothers. I am begging to know the elderly and they tell me stories about their lives and family. My role IS c hang1ng. I feel that my JOb IS more than taking p1cturcs. You must leave them with something. J feeling that they arc 1mponant and someone cares Many people VICW th1~ prOJCCt as very sad that there arc so many people growmg old alone. my view is different There arc many scn1or~ m Ch1cago. bu t the light and love that Lmlc Brothers bnn~ ~~ far from sad. This projcct1sn't about the fact that ~o many people arc:: alone . but the fact that so many people help Some piCtures arc sad , and those arc to remind us that however much good you do, there w1ll always be more that hac; to be done I have learned that agmg 1s not \Omethmg to fear There arc so man y people who at the age of 86 can s till d<:1ncc like they arc 18 It 1\ an amaLmg s1ght to sec the spmt of someone who look\ o ld . hut act~ young Little Brother\ offer many opportunities for •ntern\ hlp\ and volunteer Wtth Chn\tmas comtng up they need people for thc1r. "Santa'\ ll clpcr\" progr<tm There arc over 57S \en lor\ that ;trc waJtmg for a VI\ it and a Chn~tmas ~pfl. There arc ;tlso Chn\tmt.~\ Partie\ at f1 vc different locat1on' 111 the Ch1cago :~ rca If you would lt~c to volunteer call Mary Bachman at (3 12)· 455· f(XJ() Robert Hart ia the A.uiatant P hotography Editor at T m ColumbV. Cbronide. Rob ia a junior and working on a photo-journ.ali.am degree. Nat IICIIleater, Rob will be Photography Editor and you can expect more great photography euay'a in the future from The Chronicle. -(:1 

Columbia Chronicle (11/30/1998 - Supplement 2 of 2)

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Columbia Chronicle (11/30/1998 - Supplement 2 of 2)

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