This blog was written by Louise Meaden from South Wales. After reducing her hours at work Louise took on a voluntary role and explains how her role is integral to her local community.
Having recently cut back on my working hours, I was keen to find some local voluntary opportunities. I contacted GVS and was sent lots of different options. The memory cafe ticked quite a few boxes - it’s within walking distance of where I live, so i can get some steps on my pedometer too.
It’s something that’s quite close to my heart as my mother-in-law had dementia for many years and the wife of a very close friend of mine is now suffering with the illness and has had to be hospitalised, so I had some firsthand experience of how it can affect families, extended families and my wider circle of friends.
On attending my first session, I was warmly welcomed by Chrissy from Home Instead and Kate, the other volunteer. I really enjoyed meeting the service users and their family members who come along on the second Monday of the month. Kate and I meet and greet when they arrive, make teas and coffees and just make people feel generally welcome and included in the group.
After our initial drinks and catch up, we have some very interesting and fun activities to enjoy, such as Suzanne from Rise who came along and put us in teams to play rugby games, to practise our hand to eye coordination, listen to rugby songs and just generally have some fun as a group. I’m not a rugby fan, but learnt a lot about the game as we went along. We also heard about Butterfly Conservation in Wales from a lovely lady called Dot who brought along a huge model of a High Brown Fritillary butterfly, which can only be found near Ogmore in this part of the world. That same morning, a gentleman came from Centurion finances - they advise older people who may be vulnerable as far as their finances are concerned as to how to invest their money safely and wisely.
The second session I attended was also really good, with a new couple joining us. The husband has dementia and they were both initially quite shy joining a new group, understandably, but soon settled in and enjoyed the activity which was run by Sophie from Rubicon dance She got us sitting in a circle enjoying some chair-based dance exercises and making up dance routines which was really good fun. At the end of the session we chose some of the music that we’d like to listen to, so that opened up whole conversations about memories attached to music and how beneficial it can be to listen to. It was a good ice breaker for everyone in the group to get involved and enjoy each other’s company.
The memory café is great fun and a wonderful resource for people with dementia and their families and carers to access. Chrissy provides a table full of pamphlets and leaflets each time that people can take home with them, telling them about all the different resources available to them locally and further afield. And it provides a lovely safe place for people to come and meet up with other people in similar situations and enjoy a couple of hours of fun and relaxation on a Monday morning.
If you would like to know more about volunteering roles in your area you can contact your local Volunteering Services office, or you can find opportunities on the Age UK, and Age Cymru websites.
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