Project: Nygård

LO that will be reached throughout this project:

LO1 Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth

LO2 Demonstrate that challenges have been undertaken, developing new skills in the process

LO3 demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience

LO4 Show commitment and perseverance in CAS experiences.

LO5 Demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively

LO6 Demonstrate engagement with issues of global significance.

Plan:

My plan is to work there as a volunteer until I am 18.

What CAS do I get from this?

- Creativity, activity and Service.

What is my goal?

- I want to be able to help the precious members of our society that may have forgotten us but will never be forgotten by us. I want to be able to be of good help and know that it has paid off.

How and why I chose this as a project and how gives me all three CAS:

-Last summer my mother, who is a health care assistant, said to me that I should try and work at her workplace as a volunteer to see if it was something for me. Since I didn't really have plans that summer, I thought that it would be a great idea to use it on helping other people for free. I ended up calling the leader for one of the parts of Nygård and asked if I could work there as a volunteer for a month. She said yes, and we set up a meeting with my mom, me and her to talk this through and sign under some papers including the confidentiality paper. I woke up super early to take the bus there every morning from Monday to Thursday for a month to go to work. I ended up working at the part of Nygård where the most affected by dementia were (which I actually didn't know before two weeks in). Since I worked as a volunteer, they didn't really put a lot of effort in showing me what to do, but then again, they were very busy. I learned my tasks pretty fast and started to work at the kitchen at my part of Nygård. Every morning, I must be creative with the breakfast and have a variation to it, alongside keeping which of what I should put and what I should not when making the individual patients food. I had to walk around a lot and do errands which meant that I had to run up and down from the 3thrd floor where we were, down to the first floor and up again. Even though it was full of people that were the double age of mine and above, after a month, I got a new little group of family that I missed when I left. Because of this experience I wanted to do this as CAS when I started the IB.

Contact info: https://www.sandefjord.kommune.no/Helse-og-omsorg/Helse-og-omsorgstjenester/Sykehjem/Nygard-bo--og-behandlingssenter/ . My boss: Ellen Margreth Horntvedt (94191299)

Reflect nr1:

I contacted the head of my department again to ask if I could volunteer again in the fall break from Tuesday to Thursday, 08.00-14.00. She said yes, and I prepared myself for the work that I was going to go to. It was very tiresome to wake up early every morning and take the bus in the cold and then further walk to the working place. Especially since it was fall break, where I usually sleep late and wake up late. What got me through every time, was thinking of the words that one of my co-workers once said to me: "I don't know if anybody told you, but it really is a big help that you come and help us like this because we are so busy with the patients and having you in the kitchen makes the time flexible for us to do our jobs." It felt great knowing that I was of help to the working place and that I not only helped the patients but also my co-workers. I always ended up coming to early and started work 07:45 every morning. That gave me time to prepare the kitchen tools and plan out how I was going to make the breakfast as variated as possible. It is also super important with hygiene in my workplace so nearly every time you touch something, you have to go to one of the anti-bac dispensers and wash your hands. I had to especially do that since I was making the food. I also had to make and refill the coffee, mix drinks for the medicine and mix separately for those those who drink it without sugar and those who drink with sugar, go out and get the rolling trolley where the ordered food comes every morning, wash the table, take the trash down to the freezing trash room in the first floor, help serve food and make eggs, watch over the patients when all my co-workers were in the patient rooms, take the used dishes, glasses and such and wash them, etc. 3 of the days we had the lunch come up to us from the main kitchen, which I had to serve. But one of the days, it was up to us to make the lunch and since i was in the kitchen, I had to think about what to make beforehand, meaning the day before. I asked if it was okay if I made some egg scrambles and dessert and they approved, which I did, and everybody was happy with it. I also had to make waffles twice. It really hurt my legs to stand and work around a lot but motivation kept me up. That motivation paid up as I got that full kitchen responsibility which is a hard and well-earned responsibility.

I noticed from the very start that when I worked there, it was a very grown-up environment. It was weird and interesting but also at the same time a good chance to see how my future self would be in contact with my environment. The people there were also very nice and welcoming and never treated me like a kid but rather like their co-worker which surprised me. I also really ended up loving the patients that I cared for. Even though I can't reveal any information about them, I will say that they were like a real family to me. I was never really in contact with any of my grandparents, so this gave me chance to care for them who can't mentally be in contact with their grandchildren. This was a nice and educational experience that has and will keep evolving me to a better and more caring person.

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Working between christmas and new years

-Between Christmas and newyears, I worked as a volunteer at nygård. I have two Christmases (the Norwegian and then mine which is some weeks later) so I thought that giving that time to people who needed care was better. The work amount was the same as my previous reflection. The challenge I faced was that when I came back, a big amount of the patients I had cared for had passed away. That was an emotional challenge but it was to be expected in the age and state they were on, but death is not something one can always be ready to face. The other challenge was carring for the new patients which means learning what they like and don't and what they eat and don't since I still got full control of the kitchen. At the same time, I had to keep myself as professional as all adults I worked with.

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Last time working as a volunteer

Finally, my boss sent a message asking if I wanted to work there paid and said that they could use a worker like me. This made me very happy and since I will start getting paid, it will also be the end of this project. I feel like I have achieved the LOs that I wanted to reach with this project. I also feel like I have reached my goal and will continue to do so even when paid.