Nigel Green, Royal Voluntary Service Operations Manager for Edinburgh, praises our vital volunteers:
As pressure on health and social care services increases, more volunteers are stepping forward to offer their time. Royal Voluntary Service, one of the UK’s largest volunteer charities, reported recently that more than 4.7 million people aged 55 and over said that they intend to volunteer in 2017. The charity supports 100,000 older people a month in the community, at home and in hospital and has a number of volunteers in Edinburgh (writes Nigel Green).
Royal Voluntary Service provides a host of services and activities for volunteers to get involved with, supported by funds raised by players of People’s Postcode Lottery. Our companionship services, lunch clubs, home library link across 26 libraries and house bound book drop service, and home from hospital driving service, are very popular with older people in Edinburgh and provide opportunities for volunteers of all ages to get involved with their local community.
There is a range of skills that you can gain and improve on while volunteering, it can also be an opportunity to discover hidden talents.Volunteering offers a space in which to gain new skills, connect with new people, experience something different, and give back to the community.
University student Daisy Thompson said: “I decided to become a volunteer after my grandma passed away and I missed the companionship and wisdom which comes from conversing with the elderly. As part of the befriending service, I am paired up with a local service user so I meet up with her on a regular basis for a cup of tea and a chat. I go once a week to offer some companionship but we both benefit from the meetings. What I hadn’t realised is that volunteering is such a two-sided thing. I benefit enormously from befriending as do the service-users.”
We’ve always believed in the ethos that sharing time saves lives and the 35,000 wonderful men and women – more than half of them over 65 – who give their time to help others, make a huge difference to older people’s lives. These two-way relationships benefit both parties and many wonderful friendships have formed. Volunteering isn’t just rewarding and inspiring though, it’s good for you too. According to Professor James Nazroo from Manchester University, author of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, older people who volunteer are happier, healthier, less likely to be depressed or lonely, and have a better quality of life than those who don’t.
Many volunteers say that the biggest benefit of volunteering is the feeling of satisfaction they get from helping others. Daisy says: “My life has definitely improved since volunteering. I have made a friend for life in the form of the service user that I befriend and I feel very satisfied after visiting her as I feel that I have made her day a little brighter – we always have a good laugh and that’s good for the soul. My life feels more fulfilled and I feel that my communication and organisation skills have developed from the experience which is something that will stand me in good stead for the future.”
For information about local volunteering opportunities and local services and activities for older people, contact Royal Voluntary Service on 01875 445272 local number, email: EdinburghCityHub@royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk or visit www.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/get-help
Author: Nigel Green, Royal Voluntary Service Operations Manager for Edinburgh
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