Foyer Sainte-Anne

The project  » Foyer Ste -Anne – Accompanying elderly people » coordinated by Belgian Service Club Namur includes two volunteers for a period of 9 months 

The purpose of this project is to provide opportunities and resources for young volunteers to engage and participate in a project to help seniors . To do this , firstly , they will discover teaching methods practiced in the Foyer and secondly they can bring their own vision and inform animators about practices in their country. 

Support for the elderly is a major problem that will arise in Europe in the coming years . 

This type of social commitment is a model of intergenerational cooperation and encourages motivated young people to spend a period of their life in social activities that may affect their future career options . This has been demonstrated repeatedly in the past. 

This project aims to combine social engagement objectives with intercultural exchange . It can also contribute to 

the establishment and strengthening of partnerships between organizations from different countries . The exchange of knowledge, experiences, different practices can lead to a different way of thinking or acting. 

The Elderly people has a limited autonomy in performing activities of daily life , that is to say, to wash , dress , move, feed … This loss of autonomy is compensated by a multidisciplinary team including : nursing aid (s) , physiotherapists, speech therapist , occupational therapists…. . Therefore the volunteer will integrate a professional team and will be more specifically assigned in principle to animation tasks. 

The choice of activity will be offered to the volunteers during a telephone interview. However, the final orientation of their work will be determined by its capacity, on a proposal from the volunteer’s tutor and with their agreement, after a period of integration and observation. 

Tasks that will be proposed to the volunteers will take place in one of the following teams : 

Animation : crafts, painting, drawing, creating different objects, cooking groups , music groups . 

Occupational therapists : cognitive stimulation word games, board games , puzzles, verbal and nonverbal , bingo , read the paper or article. 

Physiotherapists : helping residents to walk, aid mobilization , water aerobics 

help caregivers : assistance with meals , travel assistance , to bed or the bathroom 

estheticians : groups Wellness (massage, beauty treatments, etc ….) 

The integration of European volunteers in these teams is essentially : 

– To meet the demand of young European volunteers to engage in the service of other , especially the elderly, 

– To develop an intergenerational project through animation and daily contacts, 

– To accompany residents (seniors) in the performance of activities of daily life. 

– Living a human experience within an institution incorporating social , psychological and medical aspects of care for the elderly , 

In particular , volunteers will: 

– Experience of integration in a team pursuing the same goal ; 

– Meet young people from other European and American countries in « pedagogy » where accommodation is provided ; 

– Take new initiatives , bring different ideas, present their views , promote their culture. 

At the end of the project, volunteers will pass on their experience to their local community . They will also encourage other young people to join the EVS program . 

The aimed learning outcomes are the following. 

In terms of knowledge 

1. Significant improvement of French 

2. Knowledge of the organization of a care and rest home for the elderly 

3. Concrete realization of a personal project 

4. Practical experience of animation projects adapted for the elderly 

Socially 

1. Volunteer’s integration into local life 

2 . Increased knowledge of Belgian culture 

3 . Integration in an international environment in Pedagogy ( French , Canadians , ERASMUS students , … ) and in the Foyer where stay also foreign trainees 

On a personal level 

1. Increased knowledge of oneself and 

2 . Learning of a personal autonomy ( management of its resources, its schedule …) 

3 . Such intergenerational activities that volunteers will face during their service will strengthen their maturity and prepare them for future challenges of adult life .