Interviewer

Could you tell me your name and tell me a little bit about what you’ve been doing at the Friends of Oakland at the Dementia Cafe?

Kennedy Rath

My name is Kennedy and I volunteered about a year ago to help. It’s local to me. The building is adjacent to the church where I go, so it’s a short walk, and one of my friends at church put out a general appeal, and it happened not long after I’d stopped working. I was an optometrist for my working life.

Interviewer

How long were you an optometrist?

Kennedy Rath

Oh, very long. I started in optics in 1966. I started training and I had my own business for 43 years, and I sold that about 10 years ago. And then I worked a few years as a locum. So in a sense, that meeting of people and having a sort of an intimate 10 minute conversation with them  was my routine, and I missed that side of it. So I thought, well, I could probably help there. So what I’ve been doing is attending the cafe, which is where we meet once a month, and the volunteers organise tea and cakes, and we sit with the residents and serve the tea and coffee, chat with them. I’m there to be a face, a smile, just say hello to someone. You know, and see a few people regularly and help them maybe to feel at home, because it is a home for them, basically. That’s what I do.

Interviewer

What has been your favourite memory or a favourite moment that you’ve had from volunteering here?

Kennedy Rath

There is one lady there who is a football supporter, Chelsea. And I, as a keen interest of mine, and I took her a flag. You pick up a flag, you know, big-ish flag at the matches. And I took her round one, and she put it up in her bedroom. When I brought it, she wasn’t in the lounge, but one of the staff said, “oh, she’d be happy to see this. She’s in her room”.  And, I went around there and they were able to put it up for me.  To pin it up on her wall. So, she was thrilled to bits. Actually, she’s partially sighted, but she still could understand what was going on. And we have a lot to talk about with the game, so that was a good one.

Interviewer

And you recently retired: What is your perspective and thoughts about volunteering  locally as someone who’s just getting off from their careers?

Kennedy Rath

Well, personally, I get a lot of benefit from going out quite often. I mean, it’s only two hours.  Once a month. So it’s hardly demanding. What I would say to someone who is retired, I would say that it’s very helpful to me because I’m meeting people and I have conversations that carry on, and sometimes I can, pick up a conversation where it left off.  I’ve built some relationships there, but also I very much enjoy working with the people, the other volunteers. So there’s about four or five that are there. It’s very much worthwhile, you know, as far as the soul’s concerned. It is something to look forward to. It’s something that’s uplifting, I’m giving rather than receiving. And I think when I said to you, it’s good for the soul, it’s always a side effect, a side product. But happiness, I think it’s a side effect of hard work. If you do something that’s difficult and finish it, you can feel great. You can’t get that feeling unless you’ve done it. So it’s like being happy,  you know, like having a drink or having a laugh or watching a favourite show, but that’s not as deep as the happiness that you get, the joy that you get from helping someone.