One of the things I like most about my work is being able to go out and meet people. Earlier this week, I started volunteering at an Alzheimer's Society day centre in Bath. Here's a quick piece on what we did and how I hope to contribute and learn from my time there.
My Morning at the Day Centre
I will be volunteering on Monday mornings. The regular staff made me feel very welcome on my first visit and arranged the morning so that we could all get to know each other.
After their new breakfast club had finished, we played a game that involved answering questions about memories from our childhood. Everyone's personalities really shone through, and there was lots of laughter around the table!
I had to head back to work at lunch time, but I look forward to going along again next week.
The Benefits of Volunteering
Volunteering will provide me with first-hand opportunities to learn about how dementia affects different people in different ways on a day-to-day basis.
As an Alzheimer's Society volunteer, I have also been given access to their online learning resources, which I look forward to looking through.
Ultimately, though, the best bit is getting to know new people and giving back to the community.
Get Involved
If you are interested in volunteering to support people living with dementia, look out for opportunities in your area on the volunteering section of Alzheimer's Society's website.
If you won't have time to volunteer regularly, there are still one-off things you can do to get involved. Check out my previous blog post about how you can become more dementia friendly.
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