You can be that “someone.”
Right now more than a million people are living nursing homes. Less than 50% of them ever get a visit from anyone. They feel alone and isolated. As one woman said, ” I have a lot of people around me, nurses, aides, but there is no one here just for me.”
We all need to feel the closeness of someone – someone that knows us well – someone that we can share our deepest thoughts – someone who will be there for me.
Before you go…
Before you call the nursing home in your area, complete this training course. It will give you the foundation you need to an effective and impactful visitor. The nursing home is filled with a lot of people and activity. “Volunteering in Long-Term Care Communities” will help you understand:
- How a nursing home operates
- What the needs are for people living in nursing homes
- Basic communication skills
- Non-Verbal communications skills
- How to be a valuable part of the team
- How to create activities that are unique to the people you visit
- The myths and stereotypes of aging
- Your role in “person-centered” care
- Regulations for privacy and resident rights.
The training is geared for adults…
The training is interactive. You will have the opportunity to interact with the instructor and other people in the course. There are exercises, short lecturettes (15 minutes or less) and other interesting activities. When you successfully complete the course you receive a certificate of completion that you can download and print.
Yes, there is a tuition…
The tuition is $49. Why? Because commitment and consistency is key to becoming an effective “companion” volunteer. With that, then the tuition acts as a filter for screening people who understand that these qualities are key to creating and sustaining “authentic” relationships.
Start here…
- Go to the National Association of Long-Term Care Volunteers (NALTCV)
- Click on “Log In” and “Create new account.”
- Complete the “New Account” form.
- Click on “Enroll me in this course”
- Pay the tuition.
- Get started!
Questions?
If you have questions or need more help enrolling in the training course, email [email protected]