Because I Can...

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations says that volunteering is: “Volunteering is someone spending time, unpaid, doing something that aims to benefit the environment or someone who they're not closely related to. Volunteering must be a choice freely made by each individual.”

Or there’s this shorter definition; “Volunteering is doing more than you have to, because you want to, in a cause you consider good.”

Back before Christmas, I saw that Voluntary Norfolk were advertising for somebody to do crafts with patients on the Rehab Ward at Dereham Hospital. So I made enquiries about what this entailed. The wheels were set in motion - but boy did they turn slowly! This is quite normal in the world of volunteering - references, DBS checks, training, induction, "shadowing" etc etc. I finally began the job a month ago, and this week actually did something approaching a 'craft activity' with just one patient.

There were 4 volunteers in the team, and we are having a "Sport" theme for the next four Tuesdays. I helped one lady make herself a medal, and then she coloured in a poster. Another gentleman painted a picture of a banana [he was not interested in the theme!]

It is a small unit, and this crafting is a new initiative, but we are hoping interest will grow among the other patients - we work in the day room/dining area. Patients who can walk, or go into wheelchairs, come into this room for their meals, so maybe the Olympic Display my colleague put up will stimulate more craftiness next week. 

When I applied, the first question was 'have you done voluntary work before?' and I said I had been volunteering since about 1970. 'What was the first thing you did?' I said I was doing my Queen's Award in the Girls' Brigade. One requirement was doing 2 hours voluntary service each week for 6 months. So I used to cycle up the hill to Dereham Hospital each Saturday morning. I had to sort out the flowers, help patients with their elevenses, and chat to them. 

Obviously the patients are quite limited in their abilities.They are all OAPs, some in their 90s, and many have few fine motor skills, others have arms/hands strapped up, due to falls. Finding appropriate activities is a challenge. But just chatting with them is a positive exercise. The nursing staff are really appreciative, as they do not have time to sit and talk with these folk.

If giving up 90 minutes on a Tuesday morning can help brighten someone's day, give them more confidence in their abilities, or just relieve the pressure on nursing staff, then I will be a volunteer. The important thing is to pick up the correct lanyard from the hook on the back of the study door. It would confuse everybody if I arrived with a badge saying Bob, Chaplaincy Team! Finding an appropriate photo was a challenge. The picture is four years old - after that haircut, I stopped dyeing the grey hairs! 

Do you volunteer? And do you find it rewarding?