Hogar para Ancianos “Hilos de Plata” (HON-55)

Type: Health: Disability - Country: Honduras

Brief description and main aims

Hogar para Ancianos “Hilos de Plata” is a non-profit and non-governmental nursing home that offers comprehensive assistance to elderly people who are alone, abandoned, homeless, in social risk or in extreme poverty.

The nursing home provides specialised residential care for elderly people who require continual nursing care, carrying out several activities to integrate them into society. Many of the residents have diseases such as Alzheimer, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, Schizophrenia, vertigo, among others.

Main Activities

The nursing home provides the elderly with shelter, food, clothing, and meets their primary basic needs in terms of their physical and mental health.

The residents participate in occupational therapy, such as creating handicrafts, and individual support therapy, such as counselling and psychological support. The nursing home also tries to organise recreational trips so the residentscan interact outside of the home, with the support of different volunteer groups.

Volunteer tasks

The volunteer assists the qualified staff members with the different daily activities, such as helping to give food to the residents, cleaning the home’s facilities, etc. If the volunteer wishes, he/she can be trained to help the staff members provide personal hygiene care to the residents.

The volunteer is expected to spend as much time with the residents as possible, simply chatting with them, reading together, playing board games, watching television, etc. He/she can organise and facilitate different workshops or sessions to exercise, create handicrafts, reading clubs, movie discussions, among others. The volunteer can also help create a website and develop the home’s social media accounts in order to raise awareness and potential funds.

Volunteer requirements / Skills

• be at least 18 years old
• have good knowledge of Spanish if s/he wants to be involved in personal care since the beginning, and basic knowledge of Spanish if s/he is involved in general activities
• be patient, creative, very interested and motivated to work with elderly people

Location

The project is located in Tegucigalpa, Francisco Morazán.

Hosting Situation (Board and Lodging)

The volunteer will live with a host family.

More Information

• Facebook Profile: Hogar Para Ancianos Hilos de Plata