So you'd like to volunteer...... how difficult could it be?

There are many difficulties to overcome to be able to work with vulnerable adults as part of a health board. The application form for a volunteer is a little off-putting and so at Aneurin Bevan (2016), Rhian Lewis meets with you to overcome the hurdles of invasive questions, proof of address, driving licence and passport details. Then there is the issue of CRB police checks. Not something that can be initiated by an individual , so I asked my old teaching agency ‘new directions’ , who were happy to obtain one on my behalf, after a half day visit to Cardiff Bay to fill in forms and provision of payment in cash. Once obtained you can request that it is kept up to date on the system for a second ongoing annual fee, but this is so much easier than leaving it expire in three years and having to go through the process of re-applying. Finally occupational health require all your immunisation history, another fee to the GP for this, another wait whilst the wheels turn then you attend hospital to boost all your tetanus and hepatitis jabs, before you finally set foot in front of service users at the hospital. The process took a little over three months to complete, but this gave me time to plan lesson pro-formas, produce teaching aids, search out cost effective materials etc… but I have to say, if I wasn’t truly dedicated, I could easily have been put off by all the red tape!

Starting to teach/facilitate/guide/coach/train service users seemed a daunting task at first. I was unsure of myself despite having taught in an additional needs school for many years in my previous career. Thankfully, it turns out that my instincts are still good..... that many of the sensible organisational skills I've picked up in teaching, translate when working with dementia. (see blog on planning).

But not all went well..... The "Early Onset" Group.....

Lesson one!! .....never use a whiteboard to explain. I made this mistake in the second session and I felt so foolish when realised that I wasn't reaching anyone in the room. I was referring to a diagram I had drawn, on mixing paint, a diagram that had words to represent the colours. Whatever possessed me to think that those with dementia could follow a diagram and do so at some distance? Faces in the room ranged from blank stares to frowns of confusion. I wanted the floor to swallow me up at this point as the awkward silence spoke volumes.

The following lesson I demonstrated again, this time using actual paint on a palette and asking the service users to immediately mimic my demonstration. The result was kinaesthetic conformation to all that... red yellow and blue makes orange, green and purple and I had fourteen palettes covered with paint to prove it!

Whatever I explain now to the "early onset" group, I do so by making a quick group announcement then quickly cirle the room giving one to one's tailored to each service user.

For the "full onset" group a whole different set of skills are in play (See "Living Art Wall" blog)