My citizenship coursework project is based on spending some time with OAP's in a home for the elderly. This will give the occupants a chance to see what teenagers are like today.
We originally thought of this just for coursework but we also think that it will be good for the elderly to know that we are here, helping out.We hope to use up some of their spare time because they have so much of it and we also would like to give the elderly a taste of how the youth majority are coping through their own eyes. We feel that it will also give us an opportunity to see how the elderly are being treated in their homes and to meet with people that have seen many things in there past.Our group consists of Femi, Josh, Stacy, Sadia, Nadia and I.
These are my aims* To introduce me to a new level of conversation and communication.* To show responsibility for the way I behave.* To be punctual.* To show good organization skills.* To show good research skills.
* To work independently.* To look after my own health and safety.* To be able to follow and set instructions.* To be able to work in a team.Planning and preparationWe had to search through the yellow pages and look for some homes. We found two homes within walking distance of Bedford College, Swan House on Maiden Road and Harriet House on Brohman Road.
We decided to call in advance and ask if it was possible to make a preliminary visit to see what we could do. We also decided upon some questions to ask the home over the phone. Those where:* How many people do you have in the home?* Would they appreciate us going?* Will there be any restrictions to us going there?* Are there any time zones that would be inappropriate to visit?We decided that we would call Harriet House first and Swan House second simply judging them by distance away from the college.Whilst Sadia was on the phone to the homes we found out that Swan House would not be able to house our requests therefore we decided upon continuing with the Harriet house.We decided in the group that as long as we were courteous and kind then we wouldn't have to worry about anything else.
We are going to wear just our normal college clothing provided that it doesn't have any foul language on it.Health and safetyAlthough we didn't learn much about health and safety in the classroom, there is always a risk of injury to use or to others. To us it is important to wash our hands before and after we operate around the home and also to obey the rules set by the home staff. We, as students operating our own outing are responsible for the following* Our own safety* The safety of others if possible* Knowing the homes health and safety rules and abiding by them* Behaving in a safe way* To notify the staff of any issue that may cause harm or damage to an individual.I believe that the above are important to our own safety there for I and the rest of the group will follow these rules closely.
Rights and responsibilitiesAs we are not qualified to help physically with the patients or perform medical treatment, we have to, at all times in the house, obey the instructions of the nurses and other members of staff.We have the responsibility to respect the privacy and not interfere with medical treatment. We must also sign in and out of the building and not open the front door because of the locked door policy.We eventually made a preliminary visit to the home and found out that the occupants currently do a few activities during the week however they do not have many visitors. There are twenty seven people in the home at this current time and would very much appreciate us making a visit to the home as they currently only have one or two family members visit them on average once a week.
There aren't any restrictions provided we don't interfere with there dinner and medication times, the games they annually play have flexible times so that wont cause any problems. Also the occupants get ready for bed at 19:00 so we will be gone before then.
