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Working with Older Volunteers in Manual Intergenerational Projects
Topic framework conditions
1. Communication
Problems and obstacles
• Isolation, lack of contact among participants
Information
• Good communication facilities are perceived as an improvement to mobility.
Senior citizens who ask for these facilities often want to escape isolation
by using them. Yet not all of them have access to the internet or email.
The technical facilities or the essential knowledge is often missing.
• Senior citizens with limited physical mobility have to rely even more on
contact with other people and on institutions which have the technical
means of communication.
Recommendations
• Establishing new contacts and networks and the ability to maintain friendships
to overcome isolation can be a goal of senior-friendly projects.
• Since many senior citizens are interested in computers, internet and email,
they can be trained in these areas. This kind of training might be organized
on a mutual basis.
• Exchange programmes can also take place virtually, which is suitable for
people with severe disabilities.
• Exchange programmes for senior citizens should provide the opportunity
of contacting people within the group as well as contacting partners in the
foreign country who are not members of the group. Many people ask for
continued contact after the project; information on this should be provided.
2. Transport
Problems and obstacles
• Difficulties in overcoming distances, especially for long journeys
Information
• Senior citizens often have mobility constraints. Altogether the state of
health and the degree of physical mobility is essential for the type and
number of obstacles.
• Journeys which take eight hours or longer are a major problem particularly
with senior citizens.
Set of Methods 83