Volunteer Report

Volunteer Report

Location and Roles

My service was based at Cypress Garden under the project shine organization. The agency conducts group tutoring, emergency health assistance for the elderly, art and craft projects, music/singing for recreational purposes, and volunteer programs under senior supervision. The main mission for the project shine organization is to offer a comprehensive health care environment for the elderly. The requirements for joining the program include; undergoing a TB test, filling the complete privacy/consent form, and completion of the agreement tutoring agreement forum. Project shine agency is located in Santa Clara

My mandates were to help the coordinator complete some survey forms of the agency. Secondly, I assisted her to arrange the notice of the exhibition board of the facility. Additionally, I aided in organizing some of the activities with the elderly such as music/singing forums during the recreational program. Lastly, I assisted the elderly in filling some documents about the organization. These forms included the consent forms, TB test forms, and tutorial agreement forms.

Population’s Status

The main population at the facility is the elderly aged 60 years. Some are relatively 80 years of age. This suggests they are sexually inactive due to advance age issue. Most of the people found at Cypress Garden facility are of Asian origin. The majority of the elderly at the facility are highly educated and owns bachelor degrees in various fields of study.

Their socio-economic statuses suggest that most of them own homes. Nevertheless, some of them lack homesteads, thus find consolation in the facility. These elderly persons are retired civil servants and professionals with various qualifications and abilities in various careers.

As a result of old age, they can not take care of themselves; thus need support in performing some of the essential self-care services. Additionally, the elderly are usually socially isolated; thus, the establishment of the tutorial groups helps connect them to society. Through singing and engagement in group therapies, their cognitive abilities are enhanced as well as their overall health.

Elders’ Needs

The elders require assistance in conducting various self-care activities as well as accomplishing some of the basic needs. For instance, since the majority of people were of Asian origin, they required basic conversational English skills to communicated amongst themselves, to the facility staff, and in the translation of English letters. In addition to basic needs, they needed to acquire new knowledge and skills to enhance their competency and skills concerning the world’s innovations. For example, my voluntary service entailed teaching a grandmother computer skills. Besides her interest in computer learning, she also engaged in self-learning of English through daily reading of newspapers.

As a result, the grandmother had knowledge and skills of the computer, such as performing necessary procedures such as turning on and off a computer, naming the various parts of a computer, and mastering the essential functions of the computer. Her determination in computer and English learning greatly motivated me to take my chances of overturning my shortcomings into strengths.

Agency Regards to My Services

Regarding my voluntary services, the agency, through the coordinator, highly appreciated my services. She was not only amused by my services but also acknowledged me as one of the most active volunteers she has ever had in the facility. The coordinator felt much relieved when handing over to me the agency’s responsibilities. As such, the agency through the coordinator’s office should be more reliable to me as I was very active and authentic during the volunteer period. Additionally, the elderly well-being improved in the facility during my tenure, making me an accessory of the success of the facility.

Effects of Culture on Elderly Identities

Culture dramatically influences the elders’ view on religion, gender, ethnicity, class, and race. Due to the difference in these components, equality and inequality are issues of personal judgments as everyone is entitled to his/her own culture. At old age, the rigidity in the societal practices is enhanced due to much-perceived experience of a given cultural practice. For instance, it is difficult to change the views of an elderly person on cultural diversity, yet they have ‘seen it all’ throughout their lifetime. Nevertheless, a youth-age identity played a role in an old age identity. At old age, one tends to stick to practices he/she used during youth life. However, at old age, the elderly tend to make peace with society, thereby advocating equality other than inequality. As such, it can be deduced that despite rigidity to change, at old age, one can easily conform to the current societal practices that call for gender equality and cultural diversity. Thus, the identities can be changed over time to accommodate the current societal practices.

Views on Aging

As a result of my stay at the facility, I can say aging is universal. The facility did not only constitute of Asian elders but also other people from different racial segregation. The facility admitted people from various nations such as China and Korea, among others. Thus, my conclusion was, everyone, will age in their lifetime. Secondly, as aging sets in, both cognitive and behavioral features decline. During my stay at the facility, I helped the elders doing things they used to do earlier in their life. This proved that such shortcomings accompanied aging.

Thirdly, aging is progressive. As one grows old, various biological changes take place, such as loss of memory, eyesight, hearing, and movement abilities sets in. As such, their overall health status deteriorates, making them susceptible to other diseases. These elderly conditions include; delirium, depression, dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease. These conditions subject the elderly to be dependent on society. Through close interaction with them, I understood their urge to learn new skills despite these shortcomings. Since aging is irreversible, engaging programs help the elderly persons to carry out daily activities to thus making them feel responsible and productive in their lives.

Lastly, it was clear that aging is not a disability but a stage in life. The elderly persons are socially isolated in society, yet they are only passing through a stage in life. They suffer from depression and loneliness since they are socially withdrawn. In my view, society plays an essential role in ensuring the well being of the elderly thus should be reprimanded to care for the elderly.

Recommendations

During my volunteer work, I noticed a lack of unity in the people. Despite being Asian, people from different countries cannot get together. For instance, the Bingo game was only attended by the Koreans. On the other hand, one party could only participate in Chinese activities depicting real segregation along the racial and ethnicity line. This proved that unity among different nations was unattainable even in a set up such as nursing home facilities.

I would urge the facility management to modify means through which joint activities can be formulated to bring cohesion among the people. Contrasting programs should be avoided to help unite the people together.

Personal Achievement and Observation

During my voluntary program, I helped a Chinese grandmother complete a transfer form. The information required in the document was too much that an older person of her caliber could not recall. Hence, if the hospital needs to provide a medical history, it should also provide the elderly with a full body examination. This way, it will be clear at a glance why the process entails various steps.

Conclusion

In summary, care for the elderly helps in not only improving their well-being but also their health in general. Conditions associated with aging, such as dementia, depression, delirium, and Alzheimer’s disease can be effectively managed through comprehensive care to the elderly. As seen, the major predisposing factor is the social isolation of the elderly. The society should not discriminate against the elderly but actively participate in taking care of their essential needs. Nevertheless, elderly persons are prone to loss of cognitive and behavioral components of their lives. Thus, the necessary resources and approaches should be devoted to improving their state. Proper management of nursing homes is vital to ensuring well being of the elderly. Lastly, volunteers, in conjunction with nursing home facilities staff, should actively involve their patients to help them in their problems substantially. Provision of basic needs, group tutorials, recreational activities, and problem-solving mechanisms is essential for the effective management of the elderly.