The Generation Relay

Model organizacyjny

Problem that continues to grow in Poland is the loneliness and social exclusion of seniors. When adult children move out or when their spouse dies, seniors find themselves in a difficult life situation. They become more and more dependent on the help of others as their deteriorating physical fitness hinders them from getting out of their homes. Loneliness, lacking sense of agency and poor well-being lead very often to depression.

The innovation 'The Generation Relay' aims to provide dependants, seniors in particular, with companionship and to encourage them to socialise by engaging in various activities. The innovation consists of regular meetings of dependants, the innovation participants, with students, members of School Caritas Clubs and adults, members of Parochial Caritas Teams. A permanent group of volunteers are assigned to a dependant person, consisiting of one member of a Parochial Caritas Team acting as a group leader and two members of a School Caritas Club. Prior to the first meetings, a series of workshops must be completed: Workshops for the members of Parochial Caritas Teams on communication, psychological aspects of working with seniors, the social welfare and health care system and the role of the supporting volunteer (3 x 2h); Workshops for members of School Caritas Clubs preparing for contacting seniors, teaching empathy, responsibility and showing the nature of old age, as well as presenting ideas for joint activities (2 x 2h); Joint workshops for both members of Parochial Caritas Teams and School Caritas Clubs to get to know each other, act together and build teams of three ready for visits (2 x 2h). ‘The Generation Relay’ is, on the one hand, intended for seniors and other dependent people in need of support, and, on the other hand, for the members of Parochial Caritas Teams and School Caritas Clubs, who are willing to provide companionship, make regular visits and spend time with elderly, lonely, sick or disabled people living nearby.

Seniors suffering from social exclusion People being dependent due to age, disability and/or illness.

Parochial Caritas Teams School Caritas Clubs Volunteering offices in local governments NGOs supporting volunteers School mentors of volunteers Relatives of seniors living alone

A handbook for “The Generation Relay. The description of a social innovation model"

The recruitment process resulted in the selection of 19 dependants, 47 volunteers from School Caritas Clubs and 20 volunteers from Parochial Caritas Teams. During the innovation trial, lonely seniors were visited regularly by volunteers who usually kept company and chatted with them, often over tea and refreshments. They also assembled jigsaw puzzles, played games, looked at photos and reminisced, prepared Christmas decorations, made music, solved crosswords and puzzles, cooked meals, prayed or read to the seniors. The volunteers also helped with exercises prescribed for people with disabilities and instructed seniors on how to use mobile phones or tablets. The seniors were able to go out with volunteers, visit the cinema, coffeeshops or restaurants. And last but not least they went shopping together, which is very important for people requiring assistance (i.e. with the help of the volunteers, one senior visited a nearby market for the first time in many years). On some occasions, volunteers accompanied the seniors to doctor’s appointments. In the period before Christmas, which was the final stage of the project, almost all teams held festive meetings.

Tak

A coordinator A facilitator of team building workshops for volunteers Volunteers – each team consisted of 1 member of a Parochial Caritas Team and 2 members of a School Caritas Club

Space to conduct training sessions for volunteers

Podmiot prawny

Danuta Sażyn, Anna Maciejewska of Caritas in the Archdiocese of Łódź

Łódź, Koluszki, Pabianice, Tomaszów Mazowiecki

Inkubator pomysłów [2020-23]