ESC: Learning by doing

Nursing home Nasz Dom is a charity institution led by the Baptist Church in Poland. Nevertheless anybody can become a resident in this project, irrespective of their religious beliefs or worldview. Nasz Dom is a home for aged, providing both residential and extended care services to persons who apply and qualify for admission. The main goals of Nasz Dom nursing home are: 1. providing permanent or temporary residence to elderly citizens lacking adequate assistance 2. providing permanent or temporary residence to elderly people with special needs, inveterately ill or requiring constant care 3. providing quality residence, food and medical care. Nasz Dom seeks to provide a friendly environment where the comfort, welfare and happiness of the resident has priority. They believe the basic human needs of adequate food, clothing and pleasant surroundings are essential to sustain self respect and sense of well-being. The nursing home has facilities for 66 residents in private and semi-private rooms, it provides full board, home cooked meals, housekeeping, laundry service, nursing service and mail delivery service. In addition Nasz Dom seeks to provide the following social and spiritual needs: a. Focusing on fulfilling the residents need b. Helping the residents in adapting to new environment and surroundings c. Making sure our residents feel safe and accepted d. Making sure the residents feel needed and useful e. Opportunities for creative involvements which help arrest deterioration and bring satisfaction and stimulation f. Providing regular contact with the outside environment; families, youth, children, other elderly people The nursing home employs 32 workers and supports itself with voluntary work. We have 3 permanent volunteers helping us for a few last years and some more involved periodically. Dom Opieki Kosciola Chrzescijan Baptystow in Bialystok is a charity institution led by the Baptist Church in Poland. Our work is the response to the need of the local environment. As the nursing home is a specific place to work - it introduces all involved people into the main idea and specific of the work with the elderly. That’s the chance the ESC volunteers are given too. By taking part in the nursing home’s tasks they face the problems of the age group and shape their own attitude. That also challenges stereotype thinking as much as the manual and social skills the volunteers already have We would like to give young people and staff and people living there a broader view on the situation in other countries, volunteers can help to build a bridge between cultures for better understanding. We would like to give volunteers from abroad an opportunity to work and learn from different cultures, to experience a contact with people in every age (as part of the project is work in The Kids Club) and get a view on certain problems in the society. We’ve been cooperating with Youth in Action Programme for nine years. Our experience shows that we’re an important part of our volunteers’ life. They can aquire some new skills as well as make reflection about their own life and decide what they want to do in the future, what they want to study and who they want to be at all. Those past and present experiences make us proud and encourage to continue the work within ESC.