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'They love the sound of her voice'
By JULIE CHURCH, Times Staff Writer LARGO -- Nine little wheelchairs lined the activity room. Some of the children watched a Disney video, others stared into space. The only sound heard over the music on the television Wednesday morning was the whoosh of ventilators helping tiny lungs to breathe. But when 64-year-old Priscilla Altwater wheeled into the room at the Sabal Palms Rehabilitation Center in a lavender nightgown with a light blue quilt on her lap, small faces showed glimpses of recognition and excitement. Altwater is known as "Mema" to the children, who suffer from a variety of medical problems. Many have been the victims of automobile accidents or near drownings. Others have birth defects that prevent them from walking, speaking, or caring for themselves. Some of the children can't see, but they all can hear the slow, deliberate sounds of Altwater's voice as she reads the brightly illustrated children's book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Their eyes light up as they listen to her. "They love the sound of her voice," said Linda Magee, 58, the activities director for the 29 children, who are patients at Sabal Palms. "They get so used to hearing my voice and the voices of their nurses. When they listen to her, they can tell the difference." The former Kings Highway Elementary School teacher has lived at Sabal Palms for more than four years. A series of strokes left her partially paralyzed. She recently started a twice-weekly story time for the children in the pediatric unit of the subacute and long-term care facility. "It was all her idea," Magee said. "She just loves these children and she misses her own family, even though they visit here often." Although children in the pediatric unit range in age from birth to age 21, most of the children at Wednesday's story time were preschool or elementary school age. Altwater knows the children by name and she speaks to them individually as she reads, often pausing between pages to catch her breath or take a sip of water. "When she first started here, she got tired reading one book," Magee said. "Now she reads two or three, and her voice is so much stronger." For many of the children, who are wards of the state, Altwater is as close to a grandmother as they know. "Seeing these kids is hard for many people, so few are willing to venture into this unit," said Elaine Nelson, the director of social services at Sabal Palms. "It didn't faze her a bit." "She is one of our most enthusiastic residents," said Marci Adkinson, 26, an activities director who works with Altwater. "She is always so complimentary of the other residents. She is our cheerleader." For Altwater, working with the children is a way to stay active and break up the monotony of life in an assisted living facility. "It makes me feel really good to be active," Altwater said. "I'm like a second grandmother to them." Part of the mission of the Palms of Largo complex, where Sabal Palms is located, is to operate as an intergenerational facility, allowing clients of different ages as many opportunities as possible for interaction, Magee said. The story time provides important interaction not only for the children, but also for Altwater and other senior residents who spend time with the children. Altwater is not paid for her services, but she said the satisfaction she receives from being with the children is much more important. "I wouldn't take a dime for doing this," she said.
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From the Times North Pinellas desks Letters |
