Page 20 - life_newsletter_winter_2024

VOLUNTEER STORY
MA volueenteertfor tDhe Namaistve Care Service
“My name is Daiva. I came to the UK in 2006 and have since lived in London.
I spent most of my years working in retail, which was enjoyable, but at the same time, I felt that selling garments only gives people temporary happiness.
I started looking for volunteering and changed my retail career to healthcare, which I believe was one of the
best decisions in my life. I
enjoy being a volunteer at St Joseph's Hospice and working in the hospital where
I can support people not only in happy but in sad moments also.
The Empowered Living Team
I started volunteering with
St Joseph’s Hospice in 2019. My
first volunteering position was with the Empowered Living Team, which was a very positive and unforgettable experience. Unfortunately, I couldn’t continue to volunteer on weekdays due to changes in my job (no days off during weekdays!) so I started looking for a volunteer position I could do
on weekends.
Namaste volunteer
Volunteering for the Namaste Service sounded very
attractive to me as I was already learning about dementia, and it was
a nice way to expand my understanding
of people living with
dementia. This is my first year volunteering with Namaste, and I hope to
have many more years with the fantastic service!
For me, being a Namaste volunteer is making the client’s day brighter by finding the best possible way of communication – listening, laughing, talking, telling stories or finding an engaging method which works best. Even though it might be challenging, I always felt that I could contact the Namaste team and get support or advice related to the situation. The training and reflection sessions are great tools to make the volunteering experience more exciting, and at the same time we can all learn from each other.
20