Rand Aid Association’s Ron Smith Care Centre and Elphin Lodge retirement village in Lyndhurst are calling upon willing community members to volunteer to help out.
The centre provides frail care services and also has a special dementia wing for elderly residents.
In addition, the centre also has a modern occupational therapy (OT) department that offers therapy to residents and day visitors.
Volunteers do not need experience, as training will be provided by the OT team.
Occupational therapist Sylvia Birkhead said, “Sometimes, all it takes to enrich the lives of people living with dementia or battling age-related challenges is a warm hand to hold.”
Volunteers will also be required to assist in a number of ways, depending on what they feel comfortable with. This could include accompanying residents to medical appointments or on shopping trips, doing ‘buddy’ visits to get to know residents, individual activity sessions with specific residents, assisting residents with technology, running small group activities (like Scrabble) or hand/foot/face care.
Volunteers who prefer not to work directly with residents can still get involved by assisting with a number of less hands-on activities, such as baking for events, finishing off items made in OT, teaching creative activities to staff members or helping set up and serve tea, or tidying up after events.
Those interested in helping out can contact Phyllis Phillips on 011 882 6296.
