Cookie Petersen Discovers Her "Next Chapter"

Next Chapter of Puget Sound is a consortium of Seattle community nonprofits providing meaningful work, service, learning and self discovery opportunities to those in midlife and beyond. In the last issue of Seniors Digest, we saw how Margie King Bloch discovered her own Next Chapter through academic pursuit. This month, we introduce a volunteer who helps local seniors navigate a particularly confusing subject!

It started with some googling. Cookie Petersen was looking for a challenging volunteer opportunity that would put her in touch with older adults. When work temporarily slowed down in the operating room of the hospital where Cookie worked as a nurse, she chose to fill her extra time with volunteer work instead of concentrating on a hobby or taking a class.

When she came upon the link to the Senior Rights Assistance Program, operated by Senior Services, she found what she was looking for: a program that was helping older adults in a multitude of ways. The manager of the program, Jean Mathisen, exhibited a gift for making volunteers feel highly valued. Cookie was quickly drafted to help with the Medicare Part D effort. The prescription drug benefit was going live and older adults needed help figuring it out.

Cookie appreciated the extensive training that the program provided and the opportunity to continue learning after the initial training. She has also been able to use the knowledge and expertise gained from her volunteer job in her personal life, when friends and their family members who are on multiple medications have questions about Medicare and the prescription drug benefit.

Cookie enjoys the relaxed and friendly atmosphere at Senior Services, and the community she has found with her fellow volunteers. It is a refreshing contrast to the intensity of the hospital operating room where she assists with heart surgery.

When people call Senior Services to get help with their health insurance questions, they are often frustrated, scared, confused and angry. But during the call, volunteers like Cookie help them put the puzzle together—and by the end of the conversation, relieved callers feel better and often express their appreciation for the assistance they receive. Cookie recalls an encounter with a woman who was feeling very overwhelmed with Part D, but by the end of the conversation she had invited Cookie over for tea. A conversation that started with tears ended with laughter. 

What Will Your Next Chapter Be?

Mark your calendar for Tuesday, June 26 to hear Marc Freedman, President of Civic Ventures, talk about his new book, Encore: Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life. Call City Club at (206) 682-7395 after May 1 for information about the location.

See upcoming issues of Seniors Digest for more stories of people who have embarked upon their own Next Chapter!