Foster grandmas bring joy of reading to children

Everyday for the past two years, Mary Gilbert, a parishioner of St. James Church in Albany, has been reading to her grandchildren.

What makes that unique is that the kids are not her biological grandchildren -- and they are profoundly handicapped.

Mrs. Gilbert is one of 24,000 seniors involved in the national Foster Grandparent Program sponsored by the federal government. The program offers seniors age 60 and older opportunities to work with children and youth with special needs. The grandparents provide 20 hours of weekly service to community organizations and receive modest tax-free stipends, meals, transportation reimbursement, physical exams and insurance.

Children in need

Mrs. Gilbert is a foster grandmother at St. Margaret's Center for Children in Albany, a nursing home for infants and children under the direction of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany. The home is one of only four free-standing pediatric nursing homes in New York State.

The needs of the children are great. Less than two percent of them can walk without assistance; 65 percent of the children cannot eat and must get all of their nourishment through a feeding tube; less than two percent can speak; and 13 percent require assistance just to breathe.

Despite the great needs of the children, Mrs. Gilbert is able to make an impact on their lives. "I've been reading to the kids every day for two years," she said. "They know my voice."

Concern for chldren

In the cheerfully decorated hallway Mrs. Gilbert explains that she changed her reading schedule for the day because one of the children was running a fever. Visibly concerned for the child, she makes sure the staff knows of the elevated temperature.

Mrs. Gilbert and the other foster grandmothers cheerfully go about their day fussing over the children. The women seem undaunted by the silence of the home. While music from radios fills the halls as well as the sound of children's videos, the children themselves make little noise.

Easing the burden

"Our staff have tremendous workloads," said Mary Grace Lyons, director of social services at St. Margaret's. "To have someone spend one-to-one time -- to read, rock, sing, spend special time, hold and play -- is great. Foster grandparents bring an added sense of security to parents. They are other people who devote their time to the child."

While the foster grandmothers bring comfort to the children at St. Margaret's, the giving is a two-way street. Said Mrs. Gilbert, "The kids mean a lot to me. I'm happy. I'd be lost if I didn't do this."

According to Ms. Lyons, the connection between the children and the foster grandmothers is great. Of the foster grandmothers, Ms. Lyons said, "They become attached to a child. They feel the loss" when the child leaves the home or dies.

Enjoyable

Mary Elizabeth Wagner, a parishioner at St. Patrick's Church in Albany, has also found benefits to being a foster grandparent at St. Margaret's. "It makes me forget my own troubles," she told The Evangelist. "I just enjoy them."

The children, explained Ms. Lyons, have severe neurological impairments, are multiply handicapped and need total assistance. Some of the impairments are congenital; others, the result of unfortunate circumstances, like accidents or abuse; still others, the result of drug or substance abuse during pregnancy.

A foster grandmother for eight years, Mrs. Wagner raves about the program. "I think its a great pastime for elderly people to get into. I highly recommend it," she said.

Her own children also think it's a good program. "My family thinks it's great," Mrs. Wagner said. "It gets me out and keeps me occupied."

(Foster grandparents work in Albany, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren and Washington counties. Some of the sites include Catholic Charities' Community Maternity Services and Masterson Child Development Center, Sacred Heart School in Troy, St. Jude the Apostle School in Troy, and St. Mary's Academy in Hoosick Falls. For information on becoming a Foster Grandparent, call 272-6052.)

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