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When asked how she was doing in her new home, she said this:
“I have a lot of people around me, nurses, aides, but there is no one here just for me.”
What do you think she meant by “…there is no one here just for me?
While there may be a lot of activity in a long-term care community, feelings of loneliness and disconnectedness persist. Why?
Everyone needs someone that we can confide in, share our deepest thoughts, likes and fears. As one older man observed:
“To be human is to be loved and to have someone to love and as far as I can tell, I am still human.”– Clarence, 92 years of age
And that’s where you come in…
“Companion” volunteers, recruited, screened and trained can be that “someone” for them. Feelings of disconnectedness, loneliness and isolation are painful and lead to people just giving up. People die prematurely.
In fact, research shows they are twice as likely to die in the same period as those that have regular contact with friends and family. But many of the people do not have friends or family to visit them. That’s where you the “Companion” volunteer comes into play.
> Completing the volunteer training you will gain the insights and skills you need to become wonderful friend to someone who may have no family or friends. You will become the person that gives them a sense of belonging, being loved and a reason to wake up tomorrow.
> The training is interactive, with opportunities for you to respond to questions, brainstorming activities, videos while interacting with other volunteers that are completing the training. When you complete the training, you will receive a Certificate of Completion that you can take with you and present to the person(s) managing the volunteers at the community where you want to volunteer.
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The training has been developed with input from professionals in the field of long-term care and is constantly being updated as new information is made available.
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To become a “Companion” volunteer… Start here…
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