Just something to share....

[brewmaster15]

Hi all,
I recently did some career shuffling and am working on several small businesses... One of them is more for fun than money... Its aquarium set and maintenence... I started doing these for free for schools and others and then had a few inquiries from individuals.. I haven't done alot of these paid ones...This post is about the one I did yesterday..,,

I got a call from a person I used to work with.. Seems her father has been trying to find some one to set up a 55 gal tank for him. Hes elderly and retired... and legally blind.. he can still see peripherally...but not much at all. None of the pet shops would deliver... and he really couldn't see the fish in detail to actually pick them. I called him and we got talking about the tank , and I decided to to help him out.

Yesterday I went to his retirement center, and met him. We talked, and then headed out ...I picked out everything ...gravel, plastic plants, tank, stand, heaters Fish.. Filter (aquaclears... and used my cycled sponges)
I set him up with a few fish to start... a school of neons,.... 2 angels, 3 clown loaches, and 4 flame gouramis......trying to pick fish that moved and had size,,, so he could see them... His eyesight is so bad that at the register,... he handed the cashier his grocery store card instead of his credit card.... and I had to show him where to sign.

Took the material to his condo and set it up...He was thrilled. We toasted to his new tank over a glass of wine. I had planned on this whole set up to be about 2 hours.... I was there 4 hours... and when I left I left with a few extra bucks in my pocket.... but a world of insight in my head. It had been a long time since I spent any significant amount of time with anyone elderly... Most of my grandparents are deceased. I only have one left and she was never much of talker...

This elderly person , Paul, didn't talk endlessly, but as I asked questions he shared bits of his life.. Career military, dreams, and regrets, bits of insight on whats important, memories of his younger days and military activities, his children ,grandchildren... and in a few months... great grand children... I enjoyed setting up the tank.......I always do.. but that conversation was what was really enjoyable...

As I drove home I couldn't help but replay it all in mind. I'll be visiting him at least once a week to do major tank maintenance, but I am really looking forward to just talking with him.. This project made me realise how special the elderly are... we tend to look at our lives as exclusive and that the world revolves around us, our hopes and dreams.... To see someone in their latter years makes me appreciate my current "younger years" more.

-al

[Jeff]

Nice Job Brew!! Good to hear.

[Tad]

Awesome Al :thumbsup:
thanks for sharing your special day....and many good points for all of us to listen too ;)

Regards,
Tad

[oodi]

Al,

My father was in an assisted living facility for the last year of his life. I came to realize how important pets are to the residents... friends and family cannot be there all the time, but pets can.

I think it's a great thing you have done for this gentleman, and something he will get lots of enjoyment from, and something he can share with his fellow residents!

Hmmmmmm... this may be the start of a "Pay It Forward" trend... especially for those of you who belong to local aquarium clubs... contact a local retirement home, and offer to set up and care for a tank for them. With a group doing it, the chores could be shared!

Judi
:)

[ping]

Hi Al,

It's a very nice story :) Thanks for sharing with us. :)


To see someone in their latter years makes me appreciate my current "younger years" more.
;) :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

"We only live once but if we work it right, once is enough". ;)

Hi Judi,

Pets are good for everyone :)

Does this mean i have to get more discus ? ;D ;D
Does too many discus good for everyone ? ;D

Regards,
Ronny

[Ardan]

That was great, Al!
I think you both really gained a lot.

You are right about the elderly, my wife is a nurse in an old folks home and I visit her at her break and get to see many of the elderly. It makes you appreciate your health, but is also inspiring to see them and what they do and have done.

That was really a heart warming story! 8)
thanks for sharing :)

[Carol_Roberts]

I bet he will enjoy your weekly visits as much as the fish tank 8)

[Mr. Limpet]

In the last few years, I have realised how much I missed by not spending more time with grandparents, etc. The history and the knowledge that is lost when they pass are irreplaceable. A few years ago an elderly machinist at my work was set to retire at the end of the year. We were already friends from working to gether at 2 companies for over 15 years, But when I knew that he would be going I made an extra attempt to hjust show uop in the shop and shoot the schitt. He had grwown up all his life in the area, and was a hitorical whiz about the entire Bay area. The stories he told were of bygone days were wonderful.
One particular story was about Thanksgiving when he was a kid. The family was going to drive out to Modesto from the bay area, about 60 miles. Well, this was a big deal. It was duriing the WWII and times were tough. They saved gas stamps for months at both ends so they could make the trip. They saveed for the new recaps they needed on the car to make it. The day before Thanksgiving, they got the retreads. Well, they set out that Thanksgiving morning and not a mile away, a tire blew. Seems that the tire guy had left a tire iron inside the tire. The tire store was closed, and that was it, trip was off. They sent a telegram and stayed home. Now, this sounds sad, but he was 15 and wassn't exactly looking forward to a trip to Aunt Nellie's. He laughed about that story every time he told it. Even though I had heard it before, I always listened again patiently. He was an awsome machinist and helped me out of a few jams when I was restoring my 68 Mustang. He had a beautiful 32 Ford high boy that he had spent the 2 years building fromk the ground up. Sadly, he passed away on Christmas day 2 years ago. But the lessons I learned from him will stay with me forever.
Sorry to go on so long, but now when I am in line behind an elderly person who is a little slow pulling the exact change out of their coin purse, I just smile and wonder what all they have been through ion all of there years, and hope that when I get that old someone will have the patience to listen to me.
Thanks Al for reminding me of this today. Paul.

[jeep]

What a nice way to finish off the Thanksgiving holiday ;)

Brian

You're an :angel: Mr. Al Sabatta. You've got my respect 100%. I wish the people on this Planet would feel the same way and not only for the elderlies but also for the young and middle aged! We need more support and understanding, not $$$ (I mean we should learn to live off the knowledge and strength of eachother as opposed to the $$$).

Great job.

**Angie**

[Steve_Warner]

Sorry to go on so long, but now when I am in line behind an elderly person who is a little slow pulling the exact change out of their coin purse, I just smile and wonder what all they have been through ion all of there years, and hope that when I get that old someone will have the patience to listen to me.




Hi all,
Al, you're good peeps, bro! ;) I wonder why it is that more people don't have patience when it is warranted these days. The world would be such a better place for just a little more patience. I had a Great Gramma-in-law pass away two years ago at the ripe old age of 103 :o I LOVED to listen to her tell me stories of when she was a little girl in Portugal and the REAL LIFE pirates she lived among in the village. It fascinated me! Serious history in those aged minds!

Steve

[Discus_KC]

Al,

You have a heart of gold !!!!!!

Jack

[April]

thats great Brew!! i delivered a dog home to a 98 year old lady and had tea with her . listened to how she used to take the tram down to the beach etc in vancouver....etc and shed lived here her whole life. it was interesting. she knew all the old stores and the owners etc...and you can tell just listening that it was such a slower ncier pace of life. going down the local grocery and bank etc and talking to the owners etc...and neighbours.... i was thinking wow this is neat hearing how vancouver was almost a century ago. now she never even ventures from her home...was worried about the rush hour traffic for me going down her side street. lol.

[brewmaster15]

I stopped by his condo today to do a quick check on everything... He was so happy to have that tank running...He's been showing it off to everyone there.... I guess they have a social every night for an hour and he going to host it this time around to show it off.

His limited eyesight keeps him from doing so much that he would like to do , and now he has something other than the TV to watch.. Its a nice a feeling.... a real nice feeling.

-al

[Ardan]

I'll bet that's one of the biggest events in his life lately! Now he can be proud of it and enjoy it too! so will others! 8)

You should have a real nice feeling Al! You deserve it! :)

[Ryan]

My great grandma is 87. A couple years ago she fell and broke her hip, and after three unsuccessful surgeries, she had to settle for a wheelchair (although her spirit and her stubbornness both encourage her to walk on a daily basis, I'm sure ;D). What amazed me is that she took a liking to the Animal Planet channel on cable. Then she started talking to me about my fish.

So last Christmas I got her one of those vases with a plant and a male betta. I have never seen someone so fascinated over a betta fish. She would feed him and talk to him and go on and on. I'd clean out the vase every couple weeks and refill it for her, and she'd tell me about how he liked to swim through the plant roots and how he showed off for guests.

A few weeks ago she mentioned having a fish tank besides the little betta vase, so I had contemplated setting up maybe a 20 gallon in her living room. Just something small with a nice mix of fish so that she can see them interact and show them off to her friends.

I think what you're doing is wonderful, Al. It must get boring and lonely sometimes, especially for people like my grandma who love to talk and socialize. She is not able to care for a pet like a cat or a dog, but I think fish give them something to interest them and occupy their time. That was a great group of fish to start with, BTW! I always loved angels and gouramis as a combo!

Ryan

[lesley]

That's a lovely story Al, I think you will find it interesting to get an insight into another type of life, before you can only read about it in history books!

Some years ago now, I was at the home of an elderly man who had just lost his wife. We had tea in the kitchen of a four room stone cottage where he had lived his entire life. The bedroom he was using was the one he had actually been born in, then moved into to share with his wife when his parents died. A few years later he died in that very bedroom. He had never been more than 100 miles from this house. Yet, he had lived a rich and happy life.

One thing that made me laugh, I happened to see some old docs on when electricity became available to the country town where my daughter lives. I said to her that this town had not gotten any power until the late 1920's. Her first reaction was "did they use generators?" when I laughed and she realised that life has changed dramatically in really a very short time.

I hope you enjoy your visits.

Lesley

[yippy]

Thats so nice brew, before i got discus i had angels - so i asked the girl at my lfs if she could find a good home for my angels. Someone she knew was in an elderly peoples centre so she set up a tank for the complex and put my angels in with the other fish she supplied them.

I was sad to give up my angels but i was happy that those elderly people were getting enjoyment out of them. My hubbys often said fish would be good pet for elderly people who live in units and arent allowed dogs or cats.

I bought my gran a betta and she just loves him.

Kerry :)

[korbi_doc]

:bounce2: :bounce2: :bounce2: :bounce2: :bounce2: :bounce2:

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[brewmaster15]

Hi all,
I just visited with him last night and his tank is doing real well... He had a minor mishap... not being able to see the temp well.. He and his fellow residents "lowered" the temp the wrong way.. :) A few fish losses but not too bad... I brought him some additional ones last night.

He mentioned to me last week that he ordered some hot stuffed peppers over the phone... and thatt he liked hot foods , so I brought him over a jar of my hot salsa. :)

The more I visit with him the more info he shares.. he lost his eyesight because of a tumor . He just had an MRI yesterday and most of the tumors gone....But he has significant swelling...seems okay though, and they have him on some anti-inflamatories, but hes worried, I am too.

I think the fish help settle him though, he is really just so proud of the tank... when he asked what he owed me for the fish and paid me... I left there having made -10.00 but feeling like a millionare.

-al

[ronrca]

:thumbsup:

[lesley]

Hello Al,

How is the fish tank in the retirement centre going??

I was asked recently if a fish tank would be a good idea for
elderly people and I wasn't too sure what to answer!!!!

Lesley