Volunteer needed: Basic Photography Course for Elderly folks

[hardy]

Hi Shutterbugs!

Isn't it fulfilling to have acquired all the photography skills and equipment knowledge through trial and error, hardwork and enthusiastic volunteering at friends' and company functions?

Wouldn't you like to test and polish your skills in *teaching* what you've learned, to others who are less fortunate and unwell?

If you have a heart for elderly folks, you'll also know it's not easy to teach them complex skills like photography.

But what if... the elderly folk also have very short memory spans, short attention spans, but benefit greatly when they succeed in shooting some visually satisfying photos on their own? This group of elderly is probably the hardest to teach!

The place that I work in, is a non-profit organisation that provides daycare for dementia elderly. We have received keen requests by caregivers to conduct a 6-session (every wednesday morning) course over 6 weeks. We have a volunteer professional photographer already signed up for this pilot photography course, but it is useful to have more volunteer amateur shutterbugs who can understudy him and then, be able to conduct subsequent batches of the program.

Volunteer requirements:

1) Somehow you must be free on Wed mornings from 22 May to 26 June 2013.
2) *MUST* be able to speak confidently in Chinese or Malay or dialects to teach the elderly
3) Keen interest to teach, learn to teach the elderly, and/or learn about dementia
4) Previous volunteering experience or passion would be a big plus
5) Interested to learn some of the above skills from a seasoned professional photographer
6) Understand that your services are pro bono but the organiser will provide refreshments and meals
7) Understand that all equipment for the course are basic and provided by the organisers

Many of the later parts of the course will involve site photography at Botanical Gardens, Chinatown, the Zoo. Other sessions will be held at Sin Ming Lane in a professional studio.

If anyone here is keen to learn to teach, and teach to learn, from the most difficult-to-teach group of elderly people (who pre-qualify by showing an interest in photography), please contact me and I'll provide further details.

Thanks for reading this appeal for volunteers!

 

[hardy]

Hi Shutterbugs!

Isn't it fulfilling to have acquired all the photography skills and equipment knowledge through trial and error, hardwork and enthusiastic volunteering at friends' and company functions?

Wouldn't you like to test and polish your skills in *teaching* what you've learned, to others who are less fortunate and unwell?

If you have a heart for elderly folks, you'll also know it's not easy to teach them complex skills like photography.

But what if... the elderly folk also have very short memory spans, short attention spans, but benefit greatly when they succeed in shooting some visually satisfying photos on their own? This group of elderly is probably the hardest to teach!

The place that I work in, is a non-profit organisation that provides daycare for dementia elderly. We have received keen requests by caregivers to conduct a 6-session (every wednesday morning) course over 6 weeks. We have a volunteer professional photographer already signed up for this pilot photography course, but it is useful to have more volunteer amateur shutterbugs who can understudy him and then, be able to conduct subsequent batches of the program.

Volunteer requirements:

1) Somehow you must be free on Wed mornings from 22 May to 26 June 2013.
2) *MUST* be able to speak confidently in Chinese or Malay or dialects to teach the elderly
3) Keen interest to teach, learn to teach the elderly, and/or learn about dementia
4) Previous volunteering experience or passion would be a big plus
5) Interested to learn some of the above skills from a seasoned professional photographer
6) Understand that your services are pro bono but the organiser will provide refreshments and meals
7) Understand that all equipment for the course are basic and provided by the organisers

Many of the later parts of the course will involve site photography at Botanical Gardens, Chinatown, the Zoo. Other sessions will be held at Sin Ming Lane in a professional studio.

If anyone here is keen to learn to teach, and teach to learn, from the most difficult-to-teach group of elderly people (who pre-qualify by showing an interest in photography), please contact me and I'll provide further details. Some volunteers may be scheduled to train future sessions, but the May-June session will be a training stint under they are deployed. The professional photographer will not be directly involved in future courses; thus the need for volunteers to train up and step up to this important role!

Thanks for reading this appeal for volunteers!

 

[Simon]

Approve for Good Cause.

 

[nitewalk]

Initially, i didnt realise it is every wednesday. I would honestly have loved to try to see if i could help out here. Unfortunately it is a weekday and half of the sessions are on school term. I'd have love to help out if it was on a weekend!

 

[Drifter]

hi,

I dun mind helping out. have experienced in conducting courses...a decade ago. should be able to try to make it on most wed morning. let me know.

cheers,
tuck

 

[spree86]

Please update me too, am interested

 

[Railroad]

Would like to helping out, please update me too.

Thank you.

 

[mamduh]

Very keen to join as it's a wonderful cayse and personally I am free on Wednesdays. Count me in please asm9815@gmail.com 84084043

 

[pchengws]

Dear All,

Please understand Dementia elderly folks whether you have the patient to explain to them before even to make them understnad you. I am not sure how serious are those old folks, sometime you may spend good whole day to explain why they are there for.

I am not trying to discourage any one at all, but have your expectation set correctly. Do not need a lot of photography skill but know how to handle them is more important. I looked after my folks and hope that I myself will not get into that situation.

I like to help but I cannot take care of demential patients well. The more you want to get things clear with them, you may end up getting crazy yourselves. You must know how to let go at times. Try to talk to dementia patients first before you take up this challenge. i think the care centre must give the trainer some training before accepting the goodwill instructor.

Good luck.

 

[lensman1968]

i will try to made on Wed mornings from 22 May to 26 June 2013.

thank
nicholas wee
96705712

 

[hardy]

Hi nitewalk

Thanks for your good intentions! It's the thought that counts!
We know the schedule is inconvenient, and our own internal processes for obtaining volunteers (via our outreach channels) are too generic for photography requirements. That's why I thought of trying out an ad in ClubSNAP

Thanks again!

 

[hardy]

Hi Nicholas
Hey that is so kind of you! If you wish to see how you can flex your schedule and help us flex ours to accommodate each other a little better, please pm me and I'll give you the contact details of our Course executive...

Thanks for your enthusiasm

 

[paul29128]

Hi Hardy... could you be kind enough to PM me the details. I am interested to be a part of your wonderful project.

Paul

Hi Nicholas
Hey that is so kind of you! If you wish to see how you can flex your schedule and help us flex ours to accommodate each other a little better, please pm me and I'll give you the contact details of our Course executive...

Thanks for your enthusiasm

 

[hardy]

Sure Paul!
Thanks for your interest and kind heart!

 

[hardy]

Hi pchengws
Your concern for the potential volunteers for this project is appreciated.
However, your fears and doubts for the volunteers are unfounded. Suffice to say, the course is planned and conducted by certified trainers and clinically competent dementia care staff. All dementia elderly are screened and pre-qualified for teachability (to the extent that early-stage dementia allows). Volunteer screening, selection and training are all a mainstay of any work done by kind-hearted volunteers.

Regardless, even if the journey towards teaching the elderly folk to take nice photos is tough and not everyone's cup of tea, one can never know til one tries. I hope potential volunteers here will not be discouraged by the singular concerns of pchengws. You are warmly welcome to see, hear, touch and feel everything for yourself -- no obligations even if you decide to drop out halfway. The true essence of volunteering is not to stay in your comfort zone, but to step out of it, and learn valuable lessons in humility, healthcare, hospitality and hopegiving. I await your pm to me to find out more )

Warmest thanks to all for reading this thread!

 

[hardy]

Hi Simon
Thank you thank you! Sorry I didn't know the rules well enough to seek permission and provide verification facts before posting this.

 

[pchengws]

Sorry hardy,

I do not meant to discourage others to help out. Just telling my experience of taking care of my father who had a very serious dementia. He could not even recognize me and I did not and had no time to prepared myself for it. It came too fast.

hardy has qualify well saying the patients are screened and pre-qualified for teachable candidate is good. Therefore you experience will be very different from mine, so long you have the heart to teach and the patience to explain, and I am sure the volunteers will feel very proud to tell his / her chidlren what has achieved after the class.

I am still working therefore mid week and morning I cannot help out, but next year when I retired may be I can take the challenge again. This time at least I have experienced.

 

[hardy]

Hi pchengws

Thanks for sharing your sad story with us here. Late-stage dementia is an unfortunate experience for family caregivers, and that is precisely why I am so passionate about seeking volunteers to help out in our little project. By engaging early- and moderate-stage dementia elderly with activities that stimulate their good feelings and emotions, and by providing customized programmes that tickle their memory banks effectively, the organization I work for has successfully cared for thousands of elderly people in the past 22 years in Singapore. We have probably slowed the progression of dementia in many cases (especially those detected early), and provided free or heavily-subsidized training, support and counseling to caregivers to provide the best-possible quality of life for their loved one with dementia.

In collaboration with worldwide authorities on dementia-care research, we have already established modules for art, music, dance and ipad-games therapy. Photography is our next goal, and we hope that with the help of kindhearted ClubSnap shutterbugs, we WILL further boost the quality of care for people with dementia...

 

[nitewalk]

I think to be fair pchengws wasnt discoraging people. It came across more as he is trying to set others' expectations and enthusiasm right. Afterall it will be good for the whole programme if the volunteers arent going into this with all the passion to serve but gets too demoralised halfway with the frustrations and all.