SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — New York’s Sullivan County Office for the Aging (OFA) currently has 130 volunteers who do a variety of jobs within the county. The work they do includes delivering meals to homebound senior citizens; staffing congregate meal sites for those who are ambulatory; and providing knitters who produce hats, gloves, scarves and blankets to be distributed to those in need. Organizations partner with the Office for the Aging—consider libraries, food banks and thrift shops—all areas that need volunteers in order to operate fully. 

Joe Stifano, who worked in the engineering field before he retired, has been a medical transportation driver for the OFA since 2011. He takes seniors who are ambulatory to the doctor and then drives them home after their appointment.  He learned that “some people are very nervous about going to the doctor ‘cause they don’t know what to expect, or maybe they are afraid they won’t get a good answer from the doctor,” he said.  So he tries to get them to relax, engaging in conversation with them.  “I just let them do the talking, just get them started,” he said.  “That’s usually all I need.”  And since he likes music, he turns on the radio and tries to match the music to their mood.

He said that the OFA makes the appointments for the seniors he transports.  “They give me the information and then I call the people to find out what time they want me to pick them up.” 

Many of the seniors Stifano transports are homebound and have had no one to talk to for long periods of time.  So, seeing that he is a good listener, some of them just start talking and telling him about things that are bothering them.

Stifano has transported a variety of seniors to doctors’ appointments, including two Olympic gymnasts and a Holocaust survivor.  One senior, a woman about 98 years of age who had trouble walking, stands out in his memory.  “I had to totally escort her, hanging onto my arm, to get her into my car,” he said. 

“It was always fun talking to her, and you could tell that at one time she must have been a classic beauty,” he continued. “She was still trying to maintain it even while being alone, and that bothered her.”  Stifano said he tried to make her feel better about that—perhaps he told her that she was still beautiful.

He talked about getting her out of the car as being like going to a dance, as she held onto his arm and he turned her around as he moved her forward to her door.  “At the end of the transport, she’d point to her cheek, and I’d give her a hug and a peck on the cheek,” he said.  “Then she’d give me a peck on the cheek.  So that was probably my tip.” 

Stifano has been doing volunteer work for many years, starting with the Boy Scouts when he was a young man, and, when he got older, moving on to the fire department, first aid squad and, more recently, the cancer society.  He came to the Sullivan County Office for the Aging in 2011 when his late wife was very sick and he needed assistance from others.

Acknowledging the help he received then, he now explained why he chose to volunteer at the Office for the Aging. “On retirement, I needed to do something.  I felt like I needed to say thank you to somebody or something.  I’d always felt that somebody there was always watching, keeping an eye on me and helping me.  So, I wanted to do that for others.”

In appreciation of the work done by its volunteers, the Sullivan County Office for the Aging hosts a volunteer appreciation luncheon to honor them.  This year, it was held at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in Bethel.  “They gave us a general talk on where we are, where we’re going, and the different things that they’re doing,” Stifano said.  Volunteers who have been working with the Office for the Aging for many years were recognized.  One woman who was specifically honored had been volunteering for 25 or 26 years. 

After 14 years of taking people to their medical appointments, Stifano said he expects to continue to do that job in the future.