Voluntariado en asilo de ancianos en Vilnius (Lituania)

Host organization‘s name

“Tremtiniu namai” – Special social care home in Lithuania for eldery people.

Place

Vilnius

Dates

From 1 of September 2017 till 1 of June 2018 (9 months).

Deadline

10th Januery 2017

Organisation

Special social care home «Tremtinių namai» is a modern institution the purpose of which is to assure the long-term social care of fully or partially dependent elderly people and to ensure secure and dignified aging. «Tremtinių namai» is an institution under the Ministry of Social Security and Labour of the Republic of Lithuania. Preference to be accommodated is given to the exiles, but if there is no exiles waiting in the queue we welcome anyone who is retired wishing to stay in «Tremtiniu namai». Exiles are Lithuanians who were forcefully repatriated to labor camps and Gulags (prison camps) in Siberia by Soviet government.

At the moment we have 80 people, aged 66-100. Special social care home «Tremtinių namai» is located in Vilnius city in a peaceful place surrounded by a beautiful forest and the river Neris. You can reach «Tremtinių namai» with a public transport. «Tremtiniu Namai» maintains an active bond with the local community: with a centre for Art and Education «Rupert» which is located only few hundred meters from the organization as well as with the people living in the surrounding area. The Internet site constantly renews information about the upcoming events and holidays, where everyone is welcome to attend.

Our target groups are elderly with dementia and elderly who have physical disabilities. We have special daily activities for elderly with dementia such as listening to the music from their past, watching funny movies, reading out loud poetry, playing dominoes, singing old folk songs, putting a puzzle together, coloring pictures, exercising.

Physiotherapist organizes the daily physiotherapy exercises and North Walking activity. Social workers offer other different activities for elderly without dementia too: participating in our care house Choir activity, Literacy and Classical music club. We often attain professional musicians, actors, poets, folk artists wishing to perform at our home.

Main tasks for volunteers

The volunteers will be given the opportunity to learn about the specifications of the work with elderly people. The main role of the volunteers will be an assistance for the elderly who have dementia and/or physical disabilities. They will improve communication, social skills as well as they will become better at understanding gestures and facial expressions, identifying and recognizing the feelings of others, demonstrating empathy, decoding body language, determining appropriate behavior for different social situations. They will learn how to bond and react in an appropriate way to the need of a disabled person in spite of the verbal barrier.

Possible activities for the volunteers:

– To help a client with personal hygiene (such as washing a client’s face, helping to brush teeth)

– To go for a walk with a client (if a client has limited mobility – organise walk with a wheelchair)

– To help a client to dress and undress

– To assist a client with eating, drinking

– To help a social worker to organise an everyday activities for a clients with dementia

– To help a social worker to organise celebrations, events

– To help physiotherapist to organize the North Walking activity

– To help physiotherapist to organize the physiotherapy exercises

Volunteer profile

Desirable features of participants:

For working with the persons with dementia: creativity – being able to perform and have general knowledge in art, music, crafts, drama, movies, dances, table games, ect. For working in physiotherapy – having good physical health, positive attitude towards physical contact, patience, attention to detail.

Basic requirements

– respect for the person, self-motivation in work with retired people, communication skills, willingness to develop a bond in spite of a verbal barrier, patience, equal attentiveness towards each and every one, initiative (willingness to do something, bringing up new ideas), positive attitude towards the work, concentration on the process rather than the result, ability to do things slow, working according to the persons timing, team working skills, ability to withstand smells and physiological fluids (like saliva, urine, etc.).

How to Apply