Are you aged 16 to 24 and living in rural north Essex? Would you like to volunteer at a village care home to reduce loneliness among the elderly? At the same time you can play games, chat and learn history from people who lived it.
You may even meet someone who was a child in the Second World War, possibly a person who fought.
Moat House Care Home in the north Essex village of Great Easton, near Great Dunmow, is looking for young people to visit its residents. The residents can range in age from the same age as your grandparents to centenarians. They have so much life experience to share.
They will really appreciate your visits as, while some get visits from family and friends, some get no visitors at all. Research has found that living in a care home can be lonelier than living in the community, and residents can feel cut off from the world outside the care home.
You will be reconnecting them with that world by telling them about your education or work, your hobbies, your family and friends, your plans for your future. They will love to share their wisdom acquired during long and varied lives.
Moat House’s manager Tara Crowe says: “At Moat House, we see every day how meaningful relationships can enrich the lives of our residents. Befriending is not only incredibly rewarding for young people, but it also brings fresh energy, conversation and connection into our home. We would warmly welcome local young people who would like to make a genuine difference while gaining valuable life experience themselves.”
Some residents of Moat House are living with Alzheimer’s and other dementia diseases which make it difficult for them to remember things correctly and rob them of other abilities over time.
To help you understand people with dementia you will join the Suffolk charity YOPEY, which is short for Young People of the Year, and works with Country Court Care, the owner of Moat House and other care homes. YOPEY will provide you with information about dementia and support.
After you join YOPEY, we will send you a starter pack, including ideas for conversations if you don’t consider yourself a chatty person. YOPEY will also introduce you to Moat House, where you will go to apply for your DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) certificate. The home will pay for your DBS application.
Once you receive the certificate, you can start visiting the residents. Whether or not you are a chatty person, you can start by joining in activities, from arts and crafts, board games and bingo, to visits by entertainers and animals, organised by the home’s Wellbeing team.
YOPEY’s founder Tony Gearing MBE, who will come and visit Moat House to see how you are getting on, says: “You will enjoy yourself and learn skills such as patience, listening and empathy if you don’t have them already. Join YOPEY today.”