Hour of Code
I believer that algorithmic thinking and computer programming should be understood by all. Numerous global initiatives impress me, such as the 'Hour of Code'. I volunteered at my local high school as a support-teacher for 'Hour of Code' classes.Online Patient Groups
In the early 2000s I volunteered for cancer survivor support. I moderated an online cancer support group for head-and-neck cancer survivors hosted by the 'Association of Cancer Online Resources' and created and maintained an online patient support group for similar people on Yahoo Groups. While this volunteering was not done for academic purposes, exploring interesting challenges, I documented my findings in the literature, as evidenced by these two papers:Assisted Living
My concern for the aged and dying runs deep. The following three subsections, entitled Beechwood Assisted Living, My House, and Nursing Home, give one perspective on my efforts to actualize this concern.Beechwood Assisted Living
My most rewarding and fun experience as a volunteer came from volunteering for assisted living in the mid-2010s. My favorite experiences were at Beechwood Assisted Living in Catonsville, Maryland. I mingled with the residents, learned about their lives, and helped them feel respected and needed. The owner and director Bruce Feuerstein asked me to lead regular weekly events that would meaningfully occupy residents. Initially, my efforts were directed at offering seminars about understanding and maintaining health, but the residents were fatalistic about their health and obeyed without question their doctors. So the idea of a seminar to explore the whys and alternatives of their health ailments did not excite them. Bruce suggested I try playing them music from their youth.
Interacting around memorable music became my favorite, regular activity of all time. What mattered to me was the response of the residents, but Bruce reflects that in this extract from his
email message of 2016:
Bruce: "I just wanted to take a moment to tell you how much of an absolute smashing hit that your musical activity has been for the residents! I'm so glad that you were open and willing to follow-up on my lead to consider bringing more music to the residents as you have. It's such a pleasure to see them participate with you, as well as having you interact with them in such a vibrant environment up an above the normal conversation that they often get from daily passers by."The residents were too often watching tv serials or staring at the floor, but when the music of their youth filled the air, their eyes lit up, they smiled, and responded to my questions in public with enthusiasm. I persuaded some to dance. I had not believed such a transformation was possible, but it was. And I loved them loving it.
My House
I wanted to own and direct an assisted living facility which would include private accommodation for my wife and I. From 2013 to 2016, I tried to get the county to let me convert my massive, personal residence at 1101 South Rolling Road, Catonsville, Maryland into a 16-bed, assisted-living facility but could not get zoning permission.
Nursing Home
In my response to Bruce of Beechwood Assisted Living (email message again) you might note that I said, "to help convert my vacant nursing home into an assisted living facility." That deserves some explanation. My approach to life is to dive head first into the deep end of the pool. In 2016, I bought a vacant 115-bed nursing home in Baltimore at 6040 Harford Road and began converting it into assisted living. My plan was to convert it such that my wife and I had a private residence within the facility. I would direct the operations and feel part of a large, virtual family that I dreamed such a setup might allow. However, someone with business, political, and underworld power forced me to sell to him before I could finish and ultimately it was converted into a highly lucrative drug rehabilitation facility. The building included a furnished basement, an elevator, and all the trimmings of a recently, fully-functional nursing home.
Mother
My parents lived in Denver, and in 2020 my father died and my wife and I moved to Denver. Soon thereafter my mother was living with us, as she does to this day. At the age of 96, she needs help, and my wife and I are her volunteer assistants. The photos show my mother first in Colorado and then in Florida. I am a lucky guy.
Hospice
I am currently a Patient Companion for Hospice Patients at Virginia Health Center. My heart goes to the patients, their families, and the professional team. I recently wrote an, as yet unpublished, scholarly paper that concludes with suggesting that generative AI could help hospice patients. This paper ends with:In a GenAI-supported hospice information system the roles of the interdisciplinary team and the roles of patient and their family are represented. ... As an example of a function of a professional, an automated social worker could interact with patients to help them develop their dignity document.Click here for the paper, but the gap between hospice practice and research is large.
