By
Jeff Young
Introduction:
People want to volunteer.
People want to get involved.
They often just don't know where to turn, or who to help. Now you have an outreach tool in hand. And, it works.
There is something special, almost magical about this program. It has been presented dozens upon dozens of times with the same results.
We boost our Volunteer program by 8-10 dedicated people every time it is presented.
I have changed the format in hopes of reaching an even larger audience with the same tried and true formula presented herein.
Serve Others, Be with Other People, Fill Your Free Time
Volunteers give freely of their time and talents in order to make a difference in the life of someone else. That desire, to serve, is an important motivating factor, but it's not the only reason we volunteer. The opportunity to meet and be with people with similar interests, or to fill our free time with worthwhile activities motivates many of us.
Some of us feel that life has been especially good to us; helping others is a way to repay the debt. Volunteering also offers an avenue for exercising the skills and talents we have gained through a lifetime of experience. And, we can learn and develop self-confidence – possibly even fulfill life-long dreams.
But many of us volunteer – just for the plain fun of it.
Exercise, Diet, Volunteer and Help Somebody
Through volunteering, we better our own lives.
Volunteering has a positive affect on our attitudes and morale. While we are helping others, we are freed from dwelling on our own problems and worries.
Get regular exercise, eat a well-balanced diet, and do something nice for someone – this is the advice you're apt to get from your doctor in the very near future. There is a substantial body of research evidence indicating that there are some very real personal, physical and emotional benefits to helping others.
Volunteering brings a sense of well-being and harmony to our lives.
The Healing Power of Volunteering
Scientific studies tell us that volunteering heals by changing a person's physiology and attitude. The body's physiology changes from one of stress to one of deep relaxation, from one of fear to one of creativity and inspiration.
Helping other people affects every cell in out body to instantly create a healing physiology that changes the immune system and the blood flow to all the organs. It changes a person's attitude, emotional state and pain perception. It creates hope, positivism and helps one cope with difficulties.
Dr. James House, of the University of Michigan, studied a group of people for more than a decade. The results indicate that doing regular volunteer work, more than any other activity, dramatically increased life expectancy. The study also found that people who spend a lot of time reading, listening to the radio or watching television had a higher-than-average mortality rate. The conclusion: people need other people for their health's sake.
When we volunteer, we experience renewed vigor and enthusiasm.
The late Dr. Hans Selye reasoned that by doing good for people you inspire their gratitude and affection, and this warmth will help protect us from the stress of life.
Improve Community Values
Volunteering is an ideal way to help other people in our community. A community can only be as health, vibrant and active as its members are willing to make it. Making it so involves time, energy, effort and commitment – from every single member.
We've all heard a lot during the past few years about the loss of "community values" and "family values". Those values are ingrained in each of us through our individual and collective service to our neighbors, our neighborhoods, and our communities. As adults and parents, we model those behaviors and activities for our youth in an attempt to pass on those values to the nest generation.
To this extent, volunteering significantly improves the quality of life for ourselves and for future generations.
Tangible Benefits
The best volunteers should have that genuine desire to help others. But, this does not mean that the experience cannot provide some very tangible benefits as well.
It may allow the volunteer to explore new career options.
It's a great way to develop new skills.
You can meet new people (which is good in its own right).
Many of our volunteer positions involve a large degree of responsibility. This allows you to exercise leadership, develop problem-solving skill and be creative.
Volunteering gives you a chance to pursue new interests. You can never have too many skills. Developing new skill and learning new things are valuable by themselves.
It provides you with the opportunity to share your knowledge and expertise with others and gain confidence and self-esteem.
It allows you to get involved in your community and to make an impact on the lives of those in need. Volunteering will give you the chance to learn more about the community, society and environment in which we live.
Walk the Walk
Since the time of our forefathers, our nation has been built up and defended by volunteers. Volunteers from every walk of life have served to improve our way of life whether they are volunteer fire fighters, or Red Cross lifeguards, or scoutmasters, or big brothers and big sisters, or school mentors and tutors, or doctors without borders, or serving the local nursing home.
We need volunteers to share their time and talents with our residents to help make their lives fuller, more comfortable, more involved… more enriched. The Adopt-a-Nursing Home project is an energizing community volunteer program we are using to reach out into our community for men and women willing to help improve the lives of our residents by giving time to work with residents and staff in area when helping hands are needed.
Any group, civic, school, religious, or business, may participate in our volunteer group program. Ideally, each group will be made up of about three members who are willing to volunteer some of their time at least once a week or so. The intention is foster a bit of friendly competition between participating groups and help break the cycle of loneliness. It as been noted that 50% of all nursing home residents do not have families or surviving spouses and about 60 % have no regular visitors. Your participation can help revitalize the lives of our residents. In addition to the personal satisfaction of helping those in need, volunteer groups will be formally recognized on out Volunteer Appreciation Day.
Our Volunteer Services Program is designed to enhance the quality of life for our community residents. There are many ways in which you can volunteer your time and talents. We believe you will find volunteering rewarding and satisfying.
Opportunities
We offer a diverse activity program, and as a volunteer out staff is willing to incorporate your interests and talents with our activity program or to assist you in find a meaningful assignment.
We will provide all new volunteers with an orientation program on their first day of service to accelerate their self-confidence as they begin their volunteer service.
Our orientation program will cover:
Fire Safety and Disaster Preparedness
Safety
Resident Rights
Infection Control
Release of Information
Smoking Regulations
Other areas of orientation will be conducted as appropriate and necessary.
As a volunteer you agree to support, protect and serve as an advocate for the Resident Rights, Health, Safety, Dignity and work in cooperation with the Staff Team.
We offer the following opportunities for you to assist or residents.
Activity Assistant
Help the Activity Department staff to enhance the quality of the activity program to our residents.
Coffee Host
Help provide an opportunity for resident to have coffee in a pleasant and informal atmosphere where residents from the whole home can socialize with each other and volunteers from the community.
Clinic Escort
Serve as an escort to confused or otherwise impaired residents going to clinic appointments. The clinic escort rides with the resident in the Medi-Van and waits with them in the waiting room, there is no driving involved.
Dinning Room Host
Help supplement nursing staff in providing one-to-one attention and assistance to resident at meal times. No feeding of residents is involved, and assists staff in clearing the dinning room after meals.
Greeter
Meet visitors in the front lobby. Find out what kind of help they need and direct them accordingly. Escort them around the building.
Meal Time Assistant
Help the nursing staff in providing one-to-one attention and assistance to residents at meal times and involves hands-on feeding of residents.
Pet Therapy
Visit residents with dogs and/or cats allowing physical contact with animals to provide sensory stimulations and opportunities for reminiscing and socialization.
Piano Player
Provide musical entertainment to residents prior to meal times.
Special Friend
Provide friendship and companionship to residents with little or no family contact.
Peddler's Gift Cart
Take a cart that holds useful, desirable items to each hall and room on a regular basis. The cart can have toiletries, sundries, books, magazines, trinkets, and other assorted items.
Other volunteer opportunities that are valuable include:
Escorting or transporting confused or wheelchair bound resident to in house therapy, beauty/barber shop, or group events.
Helping on field trips.
Assisting with seasonally and special occasion decorating.
Hosting a Social Party.
Group Exercise Leader.
Sharing of personal talents to entertain residents.
Give the Gift of You
Our residents love new entertainment and it is sometimes difficult to arrange enough entertainment programs during the moth. Anyone that would like to share their talents will be appreciated and welcomed by the staff and residents alike.
Whether you desire to entertain in front of a groups of residents or offer your talents on a one-to-one basis, we would love to see our residents enjoy some new experiences.
Sometimes the audience will be large and sometimes it will be a small group. Even if you make one person smile and have a good experience, you have given them a wonderful gift, a gift that could last a lifetime.
And the warm and fuzzy feeling you get for having helped someone makes it all worthwhile. So, do yourself a favor, reach out and volunteer.
Mr. Young is a nationally certified activity director working at his local nursing home. He is currently working towards improving his state's education requirements for becoming a certified Activity Director. He is completing his advanced coursework for his ACC certification.
He is an ordained minister and holds a MetD degree in metaphysics.
He consults with other nursing homes about how to meet spiritual needs and improving their activity programing.
