Seniors help pediatric patients bear up
By KAREN HAMMERDORFER DELANCEY
Published in the Asbury Park Press - 4 May 1999
NEPTUNE, NJ - Senior citizen Louis Gentelillo gently stroked the face of Amy Cullen, a
patient at the Jersey Shore Medical Center. A smile slowly came over his face as he
watched Cullen cradle the Teddy bear he had just given her. Gentelillo, along with Joseph
Taber and Aida Durante, of the Spring Lake Heights Senior Residence, an assisted living
facility, handed out the Teddy bears to patients in the medical center's pediatric
playroom yesterday.
 They were invited to the intergenerational get-together by Tom and
Andrea Riles, founders of the Empathy Foundation, a nonprofit group based in Point
Pleasant Beach. "All seniors have a lot to give; it doesn't matter if they're in an
assisted living situation or nursing home. They may be alone but they can still reach out;
they can touch the hearts of kids," Tom Riles said. Tom Riles has been handing out
stuffed bears to young patients at the medical facility each Monday for the last three
months.
Yesterday marked the first time that seniors came along to help. "May is
Senior Citizens Month and we wanted to kick it off the right way," said Tom Riles.
After the Teddy bears (donated by Wal-Mart, Brick) were handed out, the patients and
senior citizens shared cookies and juice. Cullen's mother, Roz, said her daughter, who is
18 and has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, enjoys the intergenerational program. "Amy's
grandparents can't always come out to be with her. She loves them very much; this is like
surrogate grandparenting," said Roz Cullen. Amy is in the hospital for stomach
surgery. "The Teddy bear is perfect. We have three dogs at home. Amy likes anything
that feels like fur. Children need some kind of comfort to hold onto when they don't feel
well and are stressed out in a hospital situation. We appreciate this kind of
program."
Over in the far corner of the playroom, Durante eyed up Allexus Green, 17
months, Asbury Park. "Look at that baby! Hi, honey," said Durante, as she went
over to play with the infant. Taber, meanwhile, looked around the playroom for more
children to greet. "This makes me feel great," he said. Laura Cadreau,
activities coordinator at Senior Residence, said the senior citizens eagerly volunteered
to visit the young patients. "They get great satisfaction in this. Giving back to the
community is something they all want to do," said Cadreau.
"There is great
comfort for them in intergenerational activities," she said. Through his role in the
Empathy Foundation, Tom Riles often serves as the middle man when it comes to organizing
programs in Monmouth and Ocean counties; each month he organizes at least a dozen such
activities. From the private donations the foundation receives, he also provides money to
families of ill children to help offset their medical bills.
Tom and Andrea Riles know
firsthand how overwhelming a family illness can be. While living in Pompton Plains about
12 years ago, their daughter, Elizabeth, now 15, become ill due to complications from
chicken pox and strep throat. Afterward, Riles was bombarded with medical bills. A lot of
people are hurting, said Tom Riles. "Their children are sick and they have no
insurance. People are falling through the cracks." Yesterday, Tom Riles tried to make
those cracks a bit smaller by issuing checks to several of the patients' parents to help
offset transportation fees to the hospital. "Right now, we need more donations. The
more we get, the more we can give out. We'd like to be able to give away $1,000 a week,
and that's only scratching the surface," said Tom Riles. One woman who did not want
to be identified pulled out a wad of medical bills to show the Rileses. One medical test
her daughter received cost $27,000; the insurance company paid $148 toward the bill.
"How helpful can that be?" asked Tom Riles.
|
|
|
|
