On the week of the 14th august 2023, Sue Warr, PramaLIFE Manager, attended the PramaLIFE Memory Lane Groups based in Ferndown. These visits were to give thanks to a number of the wonderful volunteers that go above and beyond to support the community, offering a helping hand throughout the year at the PramaLIFE Memory Lane Groups.
Allen K, PramaLIFE Group Leader, wanted to thank his volunteers, in doing so, he took the time to create some certificates for each of his volunteers and arranged for Sue to attend some of the Groups to present the certificates. Allen believes small tokens of appreciation can go a long way, as this was done whilst he was volunteering and left him with a sense of pride and happiness as he felt his kindness was seen and appreciated. Allen wanted to spread this feeling with his team of volunteers.
These volunteers offer support with:
· Help with games throughout the sessions
· With conversations and memorabilia
· Sit with members to support them through tasks
· Help with refreshments, set up and pack away
· Encouragement and enthusiasm
· They help from the car into the venue
Memory Lane Groups are run for people living with dementia or memory loss (no need for a diagnosis) everyone is welcome to attend. These sessions include games, quizzes, reminiscing and refreshments in a warm and friendly environment. Sessions are held across Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and East Dorset.
Sue said...
A Memory Lane Group is respite for a Carer as they are able to either sit in on the group session or take themselves away for the hour to enjoy some time to themselves. Alternatively, carers are able to come together, where they have a safe space to share their experiences and offer support to one another, feedback shows the enormous benefit this has for these brilliant carers.
All of the Volunteers were pleased by the acknowledgement from the PramaLife team.
Sue expressed that...
Everything Prama does relies upon the volunteers, and we have the most dedicated volunteers that anyone could wish for… We wouldn’t be able to run these activities if it wasn’t for them.
The volunteers at The Beacon Church in Ferndown have even gone as far as creating a ‘bank list’ of Volunteers to ensure any sickness/absence is covered so that groups are never to run short of volunteers.
One carer who attends with his wife living with dementia said
Allen is not just good he is brilliant, I attend this group for me not just because my wife has dementia.
To learn more about PramaLife Volunteering opportunities, visit https://www.pramalife.org/volunteer-1
To learn more about PramaLife Groups, visit https://www.pramalife.org/activities-summary