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A guide for volunteers who wish to help secluded and at-risk people in crisis
As of late evening of March 12, a state of emergency was announced in Estonia. This situation has caused havoc in all of our lives. It is wonderful that you are willing to help people trapped inside their homes, and you are looking for ways in which you could contribute as a volunteer.
Before you begin, be sure to thoroughly consider in what ways and how often you are willing to volunteer. In today’s special situation, it is crucial that you and the recipient are safe and secure in your assistance. So, if you are at risk – e.g. you are over 60 years old or have a chronic illness – your only chance to help is through online environments and by offering companionship over the phone.
Here are some of the most important things you can do to keep your volunteering activities safe.
Who is a volunteer : A volunteer is someone who helps someone out of their own free will and without getting paid for it.
For a volunteer to succeed, it is important for the volunteer to be aware of the opportunities and limitations of providing help and volunteering.
Voluntary assistance must be provided in a way that promotes the dignity and independence of the beneficiary, and is sustainable for the volunteer . Assisting someone in the course of volunteering usually involves some degree of interference with the beneficiary’s private life. Therefore, it is important to bear in mind that volunteering should always begin by establishing a trusting relationship and making an agreement between the volunteer and the beneficiary. Agreements should include the activities that are performed, how often assistance is provided, and how the costs of activities are covered. In today’s crisis, arrangements must be made, for example, by phone or e-mail (i.e. between the volunteer and the person in need), and certainly before the activities begin!!
What kind of help can volunteers provide to single elderly people and people at risk in a crisis situation:
providing company by phone or via online environments, chatting. If needed, you can help people reach the right phone numbers and contacts (e.g. a person needs help from a social worker but can’t find the right contact phone himself, needs to submit an e-document but needs guidance on how to do it, etc.). It is often believed that chatting is not a serious form of assistance, but in times of crisis, it is especially important for individuals to maintain and promote mental health. Before the conversation, the volunteer could think about what to talk about, and what to ask. For their part, the volunteer could provide topics of conversation that would help move the person’s mind away from the coronavirus and fears, help the person set goals, and find activities that he or she could do until the next telephone conversation. In order for a phone conversation to be useful, it should last at least 20 minutes.
Bringing food, basic necessities and/or medicines when the person cannot pick them up themselves . Help may also be needed for taking some vital equipment to be repaired, some items brought from the post box, and so on.