Before Deacon Donald Masterson became a deacon in 1976, he never volunteered, he said.
“I was kind of a homebody. I stayed home,” he said in a recent interview.
Now, it’s not uncommon to see the 85-year-old deacon, who goes by “Don,” sharing conversation with nursing home residents as he pushes them down the hallway in their wheelchairs.
Though Deacon Masterson is retired from formal ministry, he visits three nursing homes each week, spending about 60 hours a month volunteering as a “friendly visitor” with Catholic Charities’ Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program.
He’s spent more than 25 years volunteering for the program, and this year, he’s receiving Catholic Charities of Louisville’s Deacon Scott Haner Volunteer of the Year Award.
Catholic Charities’ Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, which serves those in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, involves two types of volunteers: friendly visitors and certified volunteer ombudsmen.
Friendly visitors “provide simple companionship or social activity” to residents in long-term care through weekly visits,” whereas certified ombudsmen “advocate on behalf of residents in long-term care facilities to improve their overall care,” according to Catholic Charities’ website, cclou.org/cclou-ltco.
“I think they’re glad to see me, and I think they miss me like I miss them.”
— Deacon Donald (Don) Masterson, a volunteer in local nursing homes
Deacon Masterson has served in both roles and currently serves as a friendly visitor.
“Don knows how much a warm conversation, shared laugh and sustained friendship can mean to someone who does not normally receive visitors,” said Jamie Barnes, associate Long-Term Care Ombudsman coordinator, in his nomination.
“Whether it’s comforting a resident who is distressed, enjoying a shared silence with a resident no longer able to communicate verbally or telling jokes with a gathered group, Don embodies the ‘friend’ part of the Friendly Visitor program.”
“I enjoy what I do. I very seldom miss,” Deacon Masterson said in a recent interview. “These people are my friends. I love these people.”
His time spent with the residents is “down to earth,” he said. As he goes door to door through the nursing home hallways, spending five to 15 minutes with each resident he visits, he’s just there to “make people happy,” he said.
“We talk about anything and everything,” he said.
For many residents, he’ll stand at the door and chat; with others, he’ll sit and watch sports. For some, he simply asks if he can get them anything — like a cup of water or a cough drop.
He hopes his small acts of kindness show the residents that he cares, he said. “I hope people remember me because I care. I do care for all of these people.”
“I think they’re glad to see me, and I think they miss me like I miss them,” he added.
In the course of 25 years, the ministry has changed him, he said. “All of these people change me. I take them with me.”
Some residents carry heavy burdens, such as physical illness, mental health challenges and deep grief, he noted. He adds them to his morning prayers, often asking for the intercession of the Blessed Mother and St. Jude, he said.
The ministry offers more than companionship; it is vital, as volunteers often advocate for the residents, he noted.
Sadly, in some facilities, “people don’t get treated right, they really don’t,” he said.
In the past, he’s sat beside residents as they’ve waited up to an hour for a nurse to respond to their call light, he said. The presence of volunteers can help ensure the staff treats residents well, said Deacon Masterson.
Deacon Masterson is receiving the Volunteer of the Year Award at Catholic Charities’ volunteer appreciation event Oct. 23. The award, which began last year, is given to volunteers who “demonstrate a commitment to our mission and inspire others to serve,” according to Catholic Charities. It is named after Deacon Scott Haner, a former Catholic Charities board member, who was the first recipient of the award.
For more details and to express interest in becoming a friendly visitor or certified volunteer ombudsman, visit cclou.org/volunteer or contact Debbie Belt at dbelt@archlou.org or 637-9786, ext. 115.
