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When Dave Trautman crosses the threshold of the Washington Commons personal care facility, he is assured of two things: he’ll be spending an hour in front of an appreciative audience, and he’ll leave with a big grin on his face. For the past year, the Bridgeville resident has volunteered his time on Tuesday afternoons to read aloud to a core group of octogenarians.
“I used to read about 40 minutes of the hour, and we’d spend the rest of the time talking,” says Trautman, 59. “Lately, it’s been about 10 minutes out of the hour, and the rest of the time we get sidetracked. We’re all so familiar with each other now, I’ll come in and they’ll start asking about my life. Then we’ll start talking about their lives.”
The Washington Commons staff regularly plans trips, special programs and other educational activities to keep their residents physically and mentally active, but Trautman’s persistence was the impetus for this program. He began mulling over the idea to reach out to seniors two years ago during a time when he was coping with a genetic disease that had ravaged his liver, making a transplant necessary.
“I spent time lying in a hospital bed, just wishing I had some kind of entertainment,” recalls Trautman, a retired Pittsburgh policeman. “I spent a lot of time just waiting. I always had a book with me, and reading kept me going.
After Trautman recovered from the operation, he contacted librarian Donna Taylor at the Bridgeville Public Library. At Taylor’s suggestion, he began his weekly sessions at the Washington Commons, just a short walk from his home.
“Dave’s very personable, and he’s also very animated,” says Marta Andrulonis, director of activities for Washington Commons, noting that he usually reads to a large group. “It works very well, and there’s a full room when he comes. In fact, some of the residents are waiting at the door for him when he arrives. He [even] brings goodies, usually sugar-free candy.”
While many people associate reading aloud with children, Trautman says he discovered a need for a similar enrichment program for seniors, some of whom are struggling with decreased mobility and failing eyesight.
“People always say there are books on tape. That’s not the same thing,” explains Trautman. “You’re sitting in a room by yourself, and you’re 76 years old and there’s nobody around. There’s no interaction. If somebody is reading to you, you can read between the lines.”
Selecting the right material for his audience didn’t take long. Trautman says the seniors prefer murder mysteries over every other genre he has tried. “There’s a goal in it. There’s something to look forward to,” he notes. “They can guess and try to figure out whodunit.”
Andrulonis says Trautman’s program is a perfect fit with the Washington Commons philosophy. “It’s talking about something that helps your mind to grow,” she says, adding, “You are never too old to enjoy a book. You are never too old to enjoy company and good conversation. You are never too old to learn something.”
A father of four, grandfather of three and a full-time student at the University of Pittsburgh, Trautman has a robust schedule, but he says he would never consider cutting back on his reading sessions at Washington Commons. He insists that the residents are not the only ones gaining something from the experience.
“They’re my friends,” he says. “They’ve had the most fascinating lives, and they do have great attitudes.” •
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