It has come to Careline’s attention that an elderly care centre in Dundee is ‘desperate’ for new volunteers to come forward and help run the service. Here at Careline we aim to help the elderly to continue living happily and independently for as long as possible.
A huge part of this is having somewhere to go on a weekly basis to meet new friends and take part in fun activities. For some, centres like the one in Dundee is their favourite part of the week – when it comes to eating the value could be even more vital.
From the news report, Careline found that unless the care centre in Dundee, called the Mid-Lin Day Care Centre, finds new volunteers they will be unable to take on any more elderly people as they do not have the resources to look after them all.
Ensuring that elderly residents who live by themselves continue to have somewhere to socialise is hugely important to their well-being and health. Here are a few reasons why this is the case:
Loneliness has a huge impact
Being lonely can have such a negative impact on a person’s life. Being inside your home all the time with nobody to go visit – or nobody visiting you – can lead to people becoming down and depressed. Depression in old age can lead to serious consequences if people do not recognise the symptoms.
Loneliness has also been linked to conditions such as Dementia. Various studies have found that those who feel lonely have a bigger change of having dementia, even compared to those who simply live alone.
Care centres can take this feeling away from the elderly by giving them somewhere to go every week. The social benefits of such centres can be huge. By making new friends the elderly could begin to arrange their own meetings outside of the care centre.
This alone will help combat the feeling of loneliness. Being able to look at your calendar and see upcoming meals or trips to the seaside will no doubt put a smile on so many elderly people’s faces.
Activities can keep you healthy
Another positive from being a member of a care centre is that the activities that take place there can help to keep the elderly physically and mentally healthy. Playing games such as dominoes and chess can prove to be brilliant for you cognitive features.
Board games and video games have proven to help the brain – especially the ‘hippocampus’ which is the part which is vital to a person’s memory.
Having a sing-a-long is also good for your brain according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. According to research, singing has been scientifically proven to lower stress and relieve anxiety – as well as providing plenty of fun.
Similar activities such as art classes and book classes have shown to have equally positive effects on people. The possibilities of learning new skills and gaining new hobbies are endless at elderly care centres like the one in Dundee.
Food and Drink
In the news article it was said that the centre was looking for kitchen assistants. Many elderly care centres do put food on for their visitors. It is the sad reality nowadays that many elderly people do go hungry because they can’t afford to pay for food and pay for their household bills.
All too often we hear of people having to choose one over the other in order to survive. Of course another issue may be that some elderly people struggle to cook their own food at home, or struggle to carry too much shopping.
Having a place to go where they make your meals can make a lot of difference to your bank balance, your health and to your happiness.
Personal Alarm for when you get home
If you do go to an elderly care centre then you should ensure that once you do return to your home you have somebody to call for if you have a fall or feel unwell. A personal alarm system from Careline can provide this help – 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.
The simply ‘plug-in-and-play’ system has been specifically designed to help the elderly and disabled across the UK. All the user needs to do is plug the base unit into their telephone socket and a power socket before pressing the red button to begin the device’s test.
The MyAmie Pendant which comes alongside the base unit can then be placed around the user’s wrist or neck, depending on their preference. If the user needs help then all he or she needs to do is press the red button on their pendant or base unit.
This sends an alert to our 24/7 Care Team who will act immediately by trying to communicate with the user of the base unit loudspeaker. After the situation has been assessed, the team member will proceed to call for your emergency contacts – friends, family or neighbours – and the emergency services if they are required.
You can order a personal alarm through our website or over the phone with a member of our sales team. To make and order, of if you have any questions regarding our services, please give us a call on 0808 304 4240 today.
