Service Volontaire International - Working with Eldery People

About the local hosting organization

ICJA - one of the ICYE founding members – was established in 1949. It is an independent organisation with links to different networks of volunteering and civil society organisations. There is a strong regional structure with 15 support groups all over the country. Most volunteers and co-workers have participated in the exchange program themselves. The national office is located in Berlin.

Presentation of the programme

The aim is to take care of elderly people who are unable to live on their own due to their age, mental or physical disabilities. Old people who move into these homes are sometimes not able to take care of themselves independently any more. Some of them have kept most of their physical and mental abilities and only need help in a few respects. Others need a lot of care or they are confused and forget a lot of things that happened just recently or some time ago.
There are different areas of work: to assist them in their daily life, for example help in preparing meals and talk to them as well as to organise leisure time activities for them.

Volunteer tasks:

The volunteer is assisting the social team of the house. They are organizing workshops and events for the inhabitants, helping them during art class or during free time. Main task is to keep them company and listen.

Main Activities:

Accompanying older people during their days, assisting them during mealtimes and keeping them company in their free time, e.g. escorting them to the supermarket or playing board games. The home also offers a lot of free time activities and workshops.

Local accommodation

Usually projects with elderly people are residential projects but in some cases volunteers live in a host family and work in an elderly residence.

Requirements

The volunteer should be willing to work with elderly. Empathy and patience is required.

Extra info about the project

Working with elderly people generally is the opportunity to familiarise yourself with their past, their personal life stories, their perspectives about the world and their situation in our society. Generally, you should like to speak to old people and be a patient listener to them - then you can learn a lot. You should be aware that working with elderly people might mean assisting the professional stuff in everyday caring.