'Dynamic' of care home changes after teenagers strike up friendships with people with dementia

Over a hundred teenagers have struck up friendships with people with dementia living in care homes, as part of a pioneering scheme to train young people how to relate to people with the disease.

The teenage volunteers are given training on relating to people living with dementia and then go into care homes and day centres operated by the Runwood Homes Group.

The scheme is run by the charity Young People of the Year (YOPEY), which campaigns to give young people a fairer image in the media and society by 'revealing, recognising and rewarding' young unsung heroes. Tony Gearing, founder of YOPEY said: “About three years ago I became aware of research about the lonely elderly. About one million over-65s feel lonely all or most of the time.

“There are about one million sixth-formers in the UK and I had this idea – if we could link up a million sixth-formers with a million lonely elderly, the loneliness problem could be cured. Obviously this is hugely ambitious and a few Befriender schemes run by a small charity are not going to cure the problem. But it’s a start.

“We want to enable young people to cope better with dementia. This need is going to grow because, as we live longer, it is estimated that one in three of us will get dementia.”

“After training, the young people are expected to visit their local care home regularly and entertain residents. They can join in general activities or form particular friendships and write their friend’s life history. As well as being a memento for the resident’s family, the life history helps the home to care for the resident.”

Huge success

The initiative has been a huge success with some teenagers even being inspired to follow a career in care

Sian Roberts has done just that. As a sixth-former at St Michael's Catholic High School in Watford she did the first YOPEY Befriender scheme at Lancaster Court two years ago and enjoyed it so much she now works at the care home.

“I really enjoyed YOPEY Befriender from the start and I was paired with a lovely lady and even though she had dementia she recognised me as a friend and we could talk about anything.

“I thought about what I would like to do after school and I had really enjoyed being at the care home, and volunteering with the staff and the residents, so I applied for a job.”

She is now a full-time care assistant and is doing her professional training through Runwood.

'It opened my eyes to the lives older people have led'

Eighteen-year-old Kaylee Poloczek from Francis Combe Academy in Watford has found being a YOPEY befriender has really opened her “eyes to the lives older people have led”.

She befriended 82-year-old Roy who she says “has done some cool stuff in his life. We are good mates, we chat about life and each other’s lives”.

Like many YOPEY Befrienders Kaylee has compiled a ‘Life History’ about her much older friend. “As we started on it I discovered just how much Roy had packed into his life. He went to art college, then did National Service, was an illustrator for an engineering firm, went into the hairdressing business, sold advertising and ran exhibitions around the world. He’s done some cool stuff including meeting Arab kings and princesses”.

His support has even helped her get a lead role in a school play. “Roy supports me in a way friends my age couldn’t, because he has ‘been there and done that’. When I auditioned for a lead role in a school production Roy’s encouragement helped me get it.”

Roy and his wife even came to see Kaylee play Sandy in the musical Grease at her school last year.

'Wonderful and inspirational people'

Her fellow Francis Combe sixth-former Emily Wright goes to the same Runwood day centre and has befriended an elderly woman called Ray. She said: “YOPEY Befriender is such an eye-opener. I am so grateful to have met wonderful and inspirational people.”

At first Emily found Ray’s Alzheimer’s a challenge. “I think your natural instinct is to treat them differently. But I have come to realise that they’re just people – you don’t have to baby them. They just have some difficulties but that doesn’t stop them from being perfectly capable in other areas of their lives.”

Emily realised the main thing she had to do was learn to be more patient with Ray.

The 17-year-old went on: “I have spoken with Ray in great length about her life. We often just chat about day-to-day events, and we speak about all the things that make us happy.”

From these chats and information from Ray’s family, Emily and another Francis Combe sixth-former Ailsa Tosh have put together Ray’s life history – basically a scrap book with memories and photographs about Ray’s life.

Upon completion of the life history, Ray thoroughly enjoyed looking at and re-reading about the events of her life.

To celebrate, Emily and Ailsa took Ray out to a cafe for a coffee.

“It was a nice relaxed outing and most importantly it got her out. For me it was an hour away from my normal routine, but for Ray it was so much more.”

'Our friendship won't end'

Emily’s time as a YOPEY Befriender is coming to an end as her A-level exams loom and sixth-formers in the year below have been trained up to take over from her year. But she says: “I know our friendship won’t end.”

Giovanna Gayle is at Parmiter’s School in Watford. She is musical and played her violin and sang to residents at Lancaster Court care home in Leavesden Green.

“They seemed to enjoy and appreciate it,” she said.

Giovanna took part in YOPEY Befriender because she wanted to speak to residents who might feel alone. “A lot would talk about missing their family and friends, and perhaps talking to me was some consolation.

“Some residents had dementia which could be challenging – they might ask me the same thing again and again. But that is how it is and you just have to have a bit of patience.”

Befriending scheme has been hugely beneficial

The befriending scheme has been hugely beneficial, according to Nirmla Singhvi, manager of the Victoria Day Centre, who called it “really special, for the time the young people can give to our clients and by them taking an interest in clients’ lives far more than we can give them.”

“We have noticed the change for the better in our clients and we appreciate all those young people who have continued to visit, even with the pressure on them of their studies,” she added.

Ann Hill, manager of Lancaster Court, found that having YOPEY Befrienders come in had changed ‘the dynamic’ of the home. “Befrienders bring in new ideas with them as well as the positive effect they have on residents, who react differently to them than they do with our staff and their families.”

A pair of male YOPEY Befrienders set up a ‘pub’ in the home and several have brought in pets to show residents, including dogs, a snake and a tarantula spider.

“By coming in to chat, to do the life stories and even to help with our shop, the whole home has improved because of Befrienders,” she said.

Around 150 young people are currently involved, with Tony Gearing hopeful of starting more YOPEY Befriender schemes soon.

For more information visit www.yopey.org.