When 75-year-old Edwin Hansen walks down the halls of Sycamore Place senior apartments in Danville, he has a bounce in his step. Older folks smile and wave, and some look forward to seeing him all week.
Hansen doesn’t live at the center – he is still healthy and independent – but he volunteers to help the elderly on almost a daily basis. He stops by the home to make sure residents aren’t feeling lonely, and he takes seniors to doctor appointments, shopping for groceries, and out for walks.
To acknowledge his contribution to the community, the Contra Costa County Senior Coalition will honor Hansen with an outstanding senior award May 23 at Centre Concord as part of Older Americans Month.
“When I get a ‘thank you’ from my clients, my heart skips a beat,” Hansen said.
Jennifer Overmoe, program coordinator for adults and seniors for the Town of Danville, said Hansen is an incredibly positive, reliable person.
“How are you feeling today? Is the medication working?” he asks an elderly resident who is struggling with sickness and pain.
The question, asked with concern and sincerity, seems to mean the world to her.
“It’s been a bad day,” she says.
Overmoe recalled a situation in which Hansen stayed with a woman all day, while she waited for a doctor’s appointment in Martinez.
“He took her all the way there and stayed with her the whole time, for four or five hours,” she said. “When I talked to him he was very positive about it, even though it was unexpected.”
Hansen said he was compelled to stay with the woman, who is African-American and in her 80s, because he felt the long wait was partially due to racial discrimination. No one else could be there for her, so he wanted to be, he said.
“Patients would come in (to the waiting room) and they would go right ahead of her,” he said. “We waited from 11 a.m. to around 4,” he said.
Every Tuesday and Thursday for the last year, Hansen has gone for a walk with a client who is in the beginning phases of Alzheimer’s disease. This is a challenge for Hansen because this client doesn’t communicate verbally and often doesn’t recognize him.
“We walk through the park when the kids are out at recess playing. He really enjoys it. He can’t say it – but you can see it in his eyes,” Hansen said.
The best thing he can do is keep us company, said one assisted living resident. Hansen repaired the break on her walker and helped another senior fix her toilet.
“He is such a nice man, he takes me to my eye doctor,” said Lidia Azuwo, whom he regularly drives.
Helping people in need seems to be what Hansen does best, but he also spends time at the gym, gardening and talking with his wife. For a man in his mid-70s he is very fit and active.
“I do have an abundance of energy. I go to the gym and work out. I hate to sit around,” he said.
While Hansen is happy to be recognized by the community for his efforts, he will not attend the luncheon in his honor. Being in the spotlight is an uncomfortable feeling for him, he said.
“I have a speech impediment and I’d rather be seen than heard,” Hansen said.
The luncheon will be part of the fourth annual Mary Shockley Memorial Award for Outstanding Seniors in Service. For more information, call Linda Ausplund at 943-5851.
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