Old age is not a joy. This harsh truth is fully felt by the inhabitants of nursing homes. In most cases, elderly people who find themselves in a residential institution are lonely, sick and weak. The state provides them with food, housing, clothing, and provides medical and social assistance. But, unfortunately, gerontological centers in Russia are financed from local budgets and often experience material difficulties. What kind of help do nursing homes need and how to provide it correctly?
It is necessary
- - address and telephone number of the nursing home;
- - transport to travel to a nursing home;
- - money to buy necessary things, medical supplies and products, etc.
Instructions
Step 1
Contact your regional social protection authority. Such departments and committees are in the structure of the administration of the region, district or city. They are in charge of boarding schools for veterans, disabled people, and the elderly.
Step 2
Tell social workers that you want to help nursing home residents and ask for the contact details of the manager. Since you probably won't be able to take over all the gerontological institutions in the region, choose one or two options. Give preference to boarding schools with less budgetary funding or located in remote settlements.
Step 3
Contact the director of the institution by phone. Ask what kind of help the residents of the nursing home need most. Most boarding schools will be happy with medical aids for seriously ill patients (diapers for adults, disposable absorbent diapers, anti-decubitus creams and ointments, etc.).
Step 4
The elderly also lack special technical equipment: wheelchairs, walkers, beds of a special configuration. Small TVs, radios, heaters, household items (curtains, bedspreads, bed linen, etc.) will not be superfluous.
Step 5
In addition to material values, nursing homes greatly require the skillful hands of volunteers. You can take part in renovating premises, cleaning the surrounding area, preparing rooms for winter, etc.
Step 6
After agreeing with the boarding school management on the date of the first visit, select a team of like-minded people and organize a collection of help. Tell your colleagues, relatives, friends, neighbors about your plans. Post invitations to participate in the promotion on message boards. Send information to local newspapers, TV and radio companies. In the text, be sure to indicate the purpose of volunteer assistance, the phone number of the organizers and the address of the collection point.
Step 7
Spend the collected money on the purchase of basic necessities. Sort the items brought by the volunteers. Make sure that expired medicines, low-quality products, and defective goods do not get into the shipped cargo. Clothes and footwear handed over to the nursing home should be of good quality, preferably new.
Step 8
Buy something for the leisure time of the elderly. For example, donate a DVD player and a collection of Soviet-era films to a nursing home. You can also bring board games: chess, checkers, dominoes. Try to prepare small personal gifts for each inhabitant of the boarding school: calendars, photo frames, sweets (marshmallows, marmalade, dried fruits), books, handicraft materials, etc.
Step 9
On your first visit, get to know the staff and residents of the nursing home. By talking to them, you can better understand the concerns and needs of older people. Don't try to fix all the flaws right away. Become a frequent guest at the boarding school. And they will wait for you here with joy and gratitude.
