‘I try to get them to understand . . . that they are people here, and that they aren’t old and decrepit.’

At first glance, Nancy Reid looks out of place, small and young among the residents of a convalescent hospital. At 32, Reid is in her eighth year as activity coordinator at Scripps Memorial’s Torrey Pines Convalescent Hospital, where the median age of the 140 residents is 75. But her firm handshake and no-nonsense demeanor show her commitment to helping a group of people plagued with a variety of illnesses. Realizing how routine hospital life can be, Reid has created a plethora of activities that go beyond making clay pots. Her programs often include the resident rabbit, Thumper, and other animals. Times staff writer Caroline Lemke interviewed her and Vince Compagnone photographed her.

Today, there is a class in my office doing reality orientation. Sometimes, when the residents come from the hospital after they’ve been under an anesthetic, they are mildly confused. They’re not Alzheimer-confused, but mildly so just because of the anesthetic. So this remotivation class kind of bridges that gap from hospital to hospital. One of the topics they’re talking about is springtime. We ask them questions about what kind of flowers there are in the spring to help jog their memories.

We have programs on the weekend that are just fun. I developed them because I thought the residents had too much routine during the week. So there’s a garden class where they plant and have a little greenhouse. And they planted a cactus garden and have a garden on the back patio. Then there’s the men’s beer and pizza class, where the men get together and eat pizza and drink beer and watch movies. And we have a Men’s Club, where they have baseball and football pools and usually watch some movies related to sports. Most of the women come to arts and crafts, but the men won’t come to that much so that’s why we started the Men’s Club and the men’s beer and pizza class.

Our “Young at Heart” class is where the residents can do anything they want. We bring in music, or they talk about a poem, or they write articles for the “Senior World” newspaper. We adopted a 1-year-old foster child in Nevada from the “Save the Children” program. And the class, along with the Resident Council, supports her. They raise money for her and send it to her and write her letters.

I’ve always worked with older people. When I was 4 years old I played dominoes with a 90-year-old. I don’t know where I got it. I didn’t have grandparents when I was younger. I have lots of grandparents now.

They say what’s on their minds. I respect that. They are pretty wise, and they don’t mess around. I’m learning something from them all the time. Every day.

I would say dealing with the young people in the facility is probably the worst. The 50- and 60-year-olds just can’t connect at all with the hospital. By being around the older people, the younger residents think their time is here to die, their next step is in the grave. I try to get them to understand that it’s not that way and that they are people here, and that they aren’t old and decrepit and they aren’t terrible people. They’re just people.

I just act like a kid. That’s my personality, though. I used to think being older on the job would be an advantage, but I don’t think that anymore. I think the residents like it. They are pretty attracted to my energy, which they don’t have, and the motivation, which they don’t have.

I broke my hip 13 years ago, and I was in the hospital for two and a half months. And I was bored. Physical therapy was good, but I didn’t much like occupational therapy. Then I met a recreational therapist I liked, and I decided I would be one and do for the people here what I didn’t get when I was in the hospital.

I was even married here in the courtyard. My husband’s grandmother is here. That was one reason we got married here. The other reason is because I’ve been here for seven years. I have learned a lot here. I get a lot of support.