December 22, 1999
HSU graduate students
warm hearts with hot meals
___By George Henson
___Staff Writer
___ABILENE--Some graduate students at Hardin-Simmons University have been delivering warm hearts and hot food to Abilene's elderly this fall.
___Students in Curtis Garner's graduate course on psychological aspects of gerontology were given the opportunity to assist in the Meals on Wheels program there for a portion of their credit in the class, and a dozen of the 20 students elected to participate.
___"It has really worked out well for both the students and the Meals on Wheels organization," Garner said. "One of the things we often struggle with is getting the students involved with older persons. On a college campus, they are surrounded with young people. This gives them an opportunity to interact with older persons, get to know them and their problems, and then we can discuss the things they learn in class.
___"Each week, we spend class time discussing, analyzing and learning from these interactions," Garner explained.
___Geoff Hetherington, one of the students who takes part in the program, said it has been a task he enjoyed.
___"One couple in particular is my favorite," he said. "I'm 24 years old, but she still calls me and my partner kids. We like to sit down and at least give them five minutes. We like to find out how things are going for them, how they are feeling."
___The program is about more than just delivering food, Hetherington said. "I've always had a lot of respect for the elderly, and the thing I see us bringing them is smiles to people who haven't smiled for a while. A lot of them are hurting and frail and have trouble getting around. To see them smile means a lot."
___Laurie Beck said she plans to continue her commitment to the program.
___"So many elderly people are taken advantage of and pretty much negated--not really treated as people. We need to remember they are people, too, and that we are all getting older and will probably be elderly someday ourselves," she said.
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