For the third week of Seniors’ Month, we spoke to Pat and Ken Worden, our third Featured Seniors!
Pat and Ken Worden have lived in Amherstburg for only six years, but already they have made huge differences in the lives of others in the area. The couple took up volunteering almost immediately as a way of meeting new people. In particular, they joined the Friendly Visiting Program with ACS, which has volunteers meet with seniors who would otherwise face isolation and loneliness.
Pat and Ken built a strong relationship with their first client, to the point that they were being invited by the client’s family to her birthday parties. Indeed, the couple still visits that first client regularly, despite her moving to Windsor for health reason.
“Stopping in to see her is a lot of fun,” Pat said when speaking with us. They have since started visiting another client, who they have also come to build a strong relationship with.
The two have a clear passion for helping others, and for being involved in the community. It’s clear to see when speaking with them that they quite simply care about others.
“I feel like when I go to visit people, it’s different from when just their family visits them, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to help and also to make friends,” Pat explained. Ken agreed, saying that their role is important, even if the clients have family that visits regularly.
“We’re able to treat them as another person; another human being and a friend, rather than a grandparent or aging relative, and we feel that’s important,” he said.
Pat and Ken are truly vibrant personalities. They are two individuals who like to keep busy, whether by volunteering, staying active at the gym, or gardening, they are always active, and the people of our community are lucky to call them our neighbours.