Making Moments Matter; Empowering volunteers to support people living with dementia in care home settings
▶Summary
Sharing expertise and experience in best practice, best in class volunteer programmes supporting people living with dementia, to create moments that matter for those people, through engagement, ...
▶Objectives
Sharing expertise and experience in best practice, best in class volunteer programmes supporting people living with dementia, to create moments that matter for those people, through engagement, connections and socialisation. We wanted to showcase Saint Joseph's Shankill's award-winning volunteer programme. Sharing knowledge, fostering relationships internationally, and developing best practices in care for people living with dementia supported by volunteers. SJS wanted to validate its volunteer programme through participation in this project. HOPE also wanted to develop volunteering in care homes in Portugal. Both organisations wanted to share their learning to improve the quality of life of people living in care homes in Ireland and across Europe and beyond. We wanted to create tangible outputs that could be shared nationally, regionally and further afield to support the development of volunteering especially in care homes and for people living with dementia. We have succeeded to impact our priorities of social inclusion, participation and active citizenship (volunteering), and enhanced the community support of people living with dementia and their families/carers and fostered a community that supports human rights.