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For many months, I’ve highlighted stories about nursing homes around the world that have won prestigious awards. Each one created a unique program to enrich the lives of its residents.
Recently, a reader asked if I can share more stories specifically related to innovative volunteer programs. That’s a great idea, and today I’ll begin with four of my favorite award winners.
After reading these stories, perhaps you’ll want to start a similar program at your nursing home. That’s why I included links so you can contact each organization directly for more information.
Master Gardeners
Since 1997, volunteers from the Orange County Master Gardeners have worked with residents of Dogwood Village in Virginia. For their efforts, the group earned the 2018 Group Volunteers Award from the Virginia Health Care Association.
The group meets monthly to do hands-on gardening activities with the residents. These include planting flowers, tasting vegetables and fruits, creating flower arrangements for local county fair competitions, and making Christmas wreaths for sale.
Besides providing enjoyable activities for the residents, other benefits include increased socialization and improvement in dexterity. Because of its success, the program spread to other area long-term care facilities.
Living History
Have you ever read a resident’s obituary in the newspaper, and you’re surprised to learn about the fascinating life they lived? I’ve had this experience many times. Consider how much better it would be if we could hear these stories while our resident is still with us.
Christiana Care Health System in Delaware addresses this issue with its Living History program. Volunteers interview clients and create brief life histories. Topics include family, career, and interests.
Each client receives a copy of their history, and another copy goes to the care team. This helps staff get to know the clients better, improves communication, and helps clients and staff connect on a more personal level.
The Living History program received a 2018 Delaware Governor’s Outstanding Volunteer Award.
Flowers For Friends
Our nursing home often receives flower arrangements donated by families after a loved one’s funeral. While this is a very kind gesture, the flowers always have that “funeral” look to them.
In 2007, a group of Girl Scouts in Petrosky, Michigan created a program called Flowers For Friends. They collect and repurpose flower arrangements into beautiful individual bouquets. Volunteers distribute the flowers to bring smiles to the faces of people in the community, including residents of nursing homes.
Besides funeral homes, volunteers collect flowers from weddings, church services, flower shows, and other events. An added benefit is the reduction of waste when they can re-use flowers instead of tossing them into the trash while still fresh and beautiful.
Over the years, the Girl Scout troop passed the project to a group of volunteers in the Petrosky community. A local floral shop, Sky’s the Limit, provides space and utilities for the group. In 2016, Flowers For Friends received the Outstanding Volunteer Program Award in their state of Michigan.
Buddy Program
In 2014, nursing homes in Kristiansund, Norway partnered with a company called Designit to create a unique program. Their goal was to engage the community to help care for the elderly.
Nursing home caregivers noted that loneliness often occurs as residents lose contact with former co-workers, neighbors, friends, and relatives. Yet, the staff is often too busy with basic cares to find the time to meet the emotional needs of their residents.
The program recruits volunteers from the local community to serve as “buddies” to the residents. After being matched based on common interests, the volunteers commit to visiting their resident every week. This might involve simply engaging them in conversation, going for walks, or attending activities together.
Besides benefitting the residents, the volunteers report enjoying visiting with their new friends and learning from the life experiences of each resident. In 2016, this buddy program earned a Norwegian Award for Design Excellence.
I would love to share more stories about creative volunteer programs, and here’s where you can help. If you’re aware of a group of volunteers that have won an award for their nursing home service, please let me know. You can either leave a note in the comment section, or you can send me an email: NursingHomeVolunteer@gmail.com
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