A new lease of life, volunteering after retirement to give back and make a difference to others – ‘A Time to Say Thank You’
‘Feel good, enjoyable and helping’ was how Age UK Trafford volunteer Pat summed up her experiences of volunteering.
Pat, who has volunteered in the Specialist Dementia Day Care Centre for the charity based in Urmston for 4.5 years said her motivation to volunteer was to connect socially with people after retiring – ‘before I retired I spent 40 years working in an office and then 8 years as a warden in a sheltered housing scheme. When I retired I missed the people, not the paperwork! Here I can come and enjoy what I do without having to worry about that!’
When asked what do you do as a volunteer, Pat said: ‘Anything and everything! Sitting and talking to people, it helps that I am of a similar age to the people that come to the centre, so we have similar experiences. We play games, do jigsaws. In the afternoon we get the whiteboard out and play word games, how many words can you make out of one long word, that sort of thing. Or we play HOY, bingo with playing cards, that’s great fun. So is musical bingo, we play part of a song, most people want to go on singing, so we’ll carry on. There’s always lots of singing and we often have entertainers in. Before Covid there was dancing as well, hopefully we will get back to that soon. There’s quizzes as well, it’s really about keeping everybody happy and making sure they have a good time. Sometimes it can be a bit awkward, sometimes people can shout, but it’s the illness not the person, you just don’t have to take it personally. The thing you need most for the role is a lot of patience and an understanding of what Dementia is.’
Pat said: ‘on personal level I really enjoy volunteering and I like to feel I have made a difference.’
‘When the people that come here remember me even though I only come for one session a week I think I must be doing something right! It’s good to be part of a team with the staff and other volunteers making an approachable and welcoming space for people and to give their families and loved ones a break.’
For anyone considering volunteering Pat’s advice would be ‘Give it a try. This role isn’t for everyone, but if you like people and you want to make a difference give it a go!’
If you would like to find out more about the volunteering opportunities available at Age UK Trafford visit: https://www.ageuk.org.uk/trafford/get-involved/volunteer/
Or attend Age UK Trafford’s Volunteers Week Coffee and Chat event for people interested in wider volunteering opportunities within the local Urmston community on Monday 6th June 2022 at 10am to 12noon at Age UK Trafford, The Sharples Building, 1-3 Church Road, Urmston, M41 9EH
For more information phone Lesley on 0161 746 9754.
