CARE FOR THE ELDERLY IN FLORIANOPOLIS

This is a worthwhile project in the beach paradise of Florianópolis. You'll gain experience in care in a friendly Centre assistsing in caring for elderly folk who spend most of their time staring at walls and feeling useless. You'll engage them in activities and care that will bring enjoyment and stimulation into their lives. No qualifications are required for this project - any volunteer who wants to help will be made very welcome!

PROJECT OVERVIEW
The Centre where you'll work was set up 50 years ago in Florianópolis to look after the elderly. It is supported entirely by donations from the local community. There are around 80 elderly people (as well as 25 orphans) living in the Centre and around 120 children who attend the Crèche which is also run at the Centre. The Centre was originally set up by a group of people who believed they had been in contact with the spirits of their deceased relatives, and had been asked by them to continue caring for the community.

You are made very welcome here and can do very meaningful work caring for and giving attention to the elderly, thus improving their wellbeing and quality of life. There are many different types of activities that you can get involved in. Stimulating activities help avoid a slow decline into depression caused by boredom and provide an extra sparkle to life. The activities that currently take place at the Centre include arts and crafts, painting, colouring, embroidery, etc., and various kinds of alternative therapies (Reiki, for example). You can help in any of these activities or in any others you are qualified to do that could have a positive impact on the residents' life.

WHAT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT:

• An exciting, never-to-be-forgotten adventure into Latin America.
• The enormous satisfaction of helping to bring sunshine into the lives of the forgotten elderly and knowing that you made a difference to them.
• New skills, more confidence, a greater understanding of a different culture, invaluable personal and professional development.
• An entry on your CV/resume that will put you head and shoulders above most others in the job market
• The enormous satisfaction of learning or improving your language skills.
• And best of all ... an unforgettable experience!

WORK CONTENT

Your role will be to act as support to the existing staff. You can also help in a more hands-on way by:

• helping to feeding the elderly

• assisting the ones who are unable to walk,

• accompanying the ambulent and those in wheelchairs on walks outside in the fresh air,

• aiding nurses with people who are ill and unable to leave their bed

• Spending some quality time with them to raise their spirits, because many "just feel useless and abandoned". As much of their days are spent in a wheelchair looking at the walls, you can imagine how valuable your attention to them is!

You could use your initiative and arrange additional stimulating and fun activities for the residents which will really bring excitement and fun into their daily lives and give them something to look forward to, such as:

• Musical events, like sing-alongs or mini shows.

• Another idea is reading circles or acting groups where you can encourage the telling of stories with interaction from everyone.

• Organising quizzes and then giving small prizes, such as a pot plant or a jigsaw puzzle, to the groups that do best.

• Holding debates on any interesting subjects, including current affairs because these would serve to give elderly people the sense of being "part of the wider world".

• Gardening - perhaps encourage the growing of herbs in pot plants which will brighten up the Centre or their rooms

• You can organise Bingo sessions, or card-playing competitions

• You could give a talk on your home town or home country, with photos and stories, covering the history and culture of your home town. You could also ask the residents to give talks about anything that they have an interest in and knowledge of.

• ... there are many activities which you could instigate to encourage people's participation and reduce their boredom.

"The possible activities a volunteer can aid in or even introduce to the centre are truly infinite! The only requirement is that the you want to help, and if you do you'll have many opportunities to make a difference here!" Ana Castilha, talking about the voluneer programme at the Centre.

If you have any suitable qualifications and are interested in observing the doctors and physiotherapists who regularly attend the Centre, we may be able to arrange this for you while you're on your placement.

No qualifications are required for this project - any volunteer who wants to help will be made very welcome!

Additional Activities you can do while on this Project:
Add to your travel experience in Brazil by doing some additional exciting activities - you never know, you could develop a passion for Latin American dance, or learn a new skill!

• Capoeira: A cross between a dance, a fight skill and an art form ... fascinating and fun!

• Brazilian Music courses: Choose from a variety of local percussion/styles

• Portuguese Language Courses: Immerse yourself in the language and you'll be amazed at the effects it brings!

• Yoga Courses

• Photography courses

• Latin Dance Lessons

• Watersports, Treks and Adventure Activities

ACCOMMODATION IN Florianópolis
Accommodation is at a 'family guest house' means that Travellers volunteers get to eat, sleep, work, socialise and generally live like a Brazilian. All members of the family will usually speak English, so it's not a problem if you don't speak Portuguese. Most of the families take more than one volunteer or student at once (some up to 10!), so the atmosphere is somewhere between a regular family and a hostel... Often very social, but with the benefit of gaining insights into the Brazilian way of life from the inside - the best of both worlds!!

Many offer the option of single or shared rooms, and generally houses are in close proximity with each other. The accommodation is comfortable, with a ‘western-style’ bathroom, and has all the modern facilities you'll need.

Past volunteers in Brazil have found that one of the highlights of living in the culture is eating out locally in the evenings. Therefore, to enable you to sample the endless variety of Brazilian dishes while you're there, we've limited this project to breakfast only, which will be served at the hotel.

Meals in local restaurants are very inexpensive and you'll dine out handsomely on about £3.50 ($5), although you could spend only £2.50 ($3) a day and still be eating well (prices are correct at time of writing). In Floripa, there are many restaurants catering for every taste, from Fast Food to Thai, Sushi, Mediterranean, French, German and Italian cuisine as well as a myriad of local Brazilian options.

OPTIONAL ADD-ONS

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

You have the option to arrange your own flights or we can assist you with your flight arrangements. If you would like us to do this for you, we will liaise with you regarding available flights and dates to suit you. All arrangements for your flight bookings/payments will be fulfilled by Murray Rogers Travel Limited, ATOL No. 6856. Where possible, we arrange for two or more people to travel on the same flight and we will let you have the names and telephone numbers of other volunteers on your flight, so that you can chat to each other or even meet up before leaving for your placement.

Where possible, all flights we arrange for you have changeable return tickets because many of our volunteers choose to extend their stay once they are in their destination country. Changeable return tickets enable you to do so, within the limits of your visa and the level of your air ticket, of course. If you choose to book your own flights, you should endeavour to get a changeable ticket.

VISAS:. In countries where visas or immigration documents are required, we'll send you all the necessary forms and information and make the process very easy for you.

To read about the excellent Support & Backup we provide before you leave and during your programme, please click here.

We can also arrange your flight dates to give you additional time at the end of your project for travelling around and sightseeing - this is a fascinating and wondrous country!