Dean Wong

Tears come to Joe Gables' eyes when he talks about getting old and being home bound due to his limited mobility. He has no friends or family to support him. But one light shining in his life is Randy Neely, a volunteer with ElderFriends, who visits him each week to provide him assistance and companionship.

On Thanksgiving Day, when most people are sharing meals with their loved ones, Neely will take time out to deliver a turkey, prepared and donated by The Yankee Grill and Roaster in Ballard for Gable and other seniors in the ElderFriends program. The Whole Foods Store near Green Lake is supplying pies. Ballard Blossom gives the seniors individually wrapped roses. Students from The Bertschi School make colorful place mats. Once the food is delivered, volunteers spend up to an hour together socializing with their elderly clients.

ElderFriends is part of the organization ElderHealth and is designed to assist elderly people who live alone without anyone to help in their daily lives.

For the last nine years, ElderFriends has selected volunteers to visit with elderly residents at least twice a month for a period of one year.

Ginger Seybold, director of ElderFriends said volunteers offer friendship and companionship to isolated elders. They help the seniors with outreach and connect them to community resources.

Neely is a Ballard resident and likes spending time with his elder friend.

"He has been doing a wonderful job," said Gable, who worked with the Great Northern Railroad in Chicago and Nebraska during a long railroad career.

Gable lives by himself in a small house. He has lived there for the last 36 years. An old pick-up truck is parked on the lawn and looks like it hasn't been driven in years. The paint on the house is peeling and the interior is cluttered.

Gable has two different style strollers and has trouble getting around without them.

His landlord takes him to doctor's appointments. Once when he fell outside in a back alley, neighbors came to his aid. For the last two years, he found a good friend in Neely.

"I see him once a week. We sit and chat. We talk about his experience working on old railroads and the pain of getting old," said Neely.

"I take him to appointments, to the store and help him get services he needs," said Neely.

"Joe is my only elder friend. It's great. I love to sit there and listen to old stories. The stories they have are amazing," said Neely.

It takes Neely a few minutes to get Gable ready to go outside to have his picture taken. As he descends down the stairs, clutching is stroller, his right hand grabs a handle attached to the wall for support.

During the summer, he tried to grab the handle, missed it and fell. He ended up at a nursing home for three months going through rehabilitation.

Another time, he lost his balance in the house.

"I laid on the floor of the bathroom for six hours," Gable recalls. Fortunately his landlord found him that time.

"There are a lot of people worse off than me in there," Gable says. He's happy to be home, despite his disability.

"I seldom get outside. I'm mostly inside. I've fallen so much," said Gable.

"Everyone want to live a long life span, but no one wants to get old," Gable says, before he starts crying and Neely comforts him.

Gable now wears a Lifeline Alarm. A push of a button and help is on the way.

"All I can say is stay healthy," Gable advises.

Senior Service's Meals on Wheels program delivers frozen meals, enough for two weeks to homebound seniors like Gable.

Another Ballard resident, Raleigh March has been a volunteer for the last two years. On Thanksgiving, she'll take time out to help deliver a turkey meal to an elderly woman.

"You feel so much better after doing it. It feels like you are getting out in the community. Elderly people are not often thought about. There are so many elders at home, with no loved ones," said March.

March says it's fun to talk to people about their lives. "They don't have a lot of people coming (visiting). It's hard for them to get excited about the holidays," she said.

Participating in the ElderFriend program takes on more meaning for March. She misses her sister, who four years ago died from cancer.

"I think about elder people who have lost spouses. I wanted to reach out to them. It would be nice to help someone in a similar situation," March said.

ElderHealth is 25 years old and was one of the first adult day-health providers in the country. Its mission is to enhance the quality of life for frail elders and people with chronic illnesses and disabilities.

For more information call 224-3790 or visit www.elderhealth.org or www.elderfriends.org.