Sitting around the activity room, nine residents of the Oakland facility, most of whom are in wheelchairs, await a turn to hold, kiss or simply stroke the tiny feet of 10-month-old Elijah Geduldig and Luke Rorer.

They are part of the Moms and Babies volunteer program of the 24-hour-care facility at Piedmont Gardens, near Piedmont Avenue.

"You are never too young to volunteer," said Elijah's mother, Laura Geduldig. "My son hasn't cried once."

In the six months of volunteering, she said she has yet to see a child cry while visiting the senior citizens. Geduldig has been volunteering with her son at the facility almost every Monday morning since Elijah was born some 10 months ago.

This month, Geduldig is particularly excited because this year's Mother's Day will be her first as a mother. Geduldig said her volunteer work in May gives more meaning to the purpose of the program, which includes sharing some of the joy and challenges of motherhood with the residents, some of whom are great-grandmothers.

One resident, Shelagh Davis, 95, watched the two playful infants crawl about to grasp a toy at the center of the room where the supervising staff rounded up the residents in a semicircle.

"These little tykes will be walking in no time," said Davis. "It makes me think of my children."

Davis has two sons, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild, all "scattered around California," and does not get to see them much, she said.

Elizabeth Chamish, the center program director, said most residents at the facility have physical infirmities and various levels of dementia. They are surrounded by so much loss and death that such a program, which has been running for more than 15 years, lifts their spirits, she said.

Piedmont Gardens is at 110 41st St., Oakland, providing services for independent and assisted living for senior citizens. It includes a skilled-nursing facility with 94 beds. The Moms and Babies program is from 10 to 11 a.m. every Monday. For more information, call (510) 654-7172.

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