Pat volunteers with Meet and Eat
An Arklow woman who voluteers with Wicklow Dementia Support’s Meet and Eat Project said it is a great way to meet people and to help out in the community.
Pat Tyrrell started to volunteer with the project 18 months ago after moving back to Arklow from Scotland with her husband.
‘My husband and I moved back in 2018 and I was looking for things to get involved with. My background is in nursing and this programme seemed like it would be really useful and helpful.’
Pat’s mother had dementia and she said,‘I thought this was a lovely programme and one my mother would have enjoyed and got a lot from,’
Wicklow Dementia Support’s Meet and Eat project is taking place in Arklow and the surrounding areas. It is aimed at older people with memory loss or people who are lonely and isolated. The older person is matched with a volunteer companion who visits them in their own home once a week for eight weeks to cook and eat a simple nutritious meal.
Volunteers commit to two eight-week programmes during the year.
‘Over the eight weeks, you give two to three hours a week to go to the clients’ homes. You bring the ingredients and you prepare the food with them and eat it together.’
All volunteers receive training in areas including food preparation and dementia awareness.
They also receive a book of menus which provides ideas for cooking with the older person they have been matched with.
‘You take the book of menus and work out with the person what they like and if there’s anything to avoid. I like to decide each week what to cook the following week,’ Pat said.
The project aims to encourage good nutrition and social benefits for an older person who may be feeling lonely or isolated. However, Pat said the volunteers get as much from their involvement in the programme.
‘I’ve got a lot from it. It’s helped me to get to know people in the town again. You get to know the families of clients and you find out a lot about the person themselves. It’s a nice way to engage with people socially.’
Covid-19 restrictions meant that Pat was unable to visit the older person in their home during the previous cycle of the project. However, she continued to cook lunch and bring the meals to her client.
‘I’d cook and bring them lunch. We’d have a brief chat. It’s not the same but it kept us in contact.’
Pat said she would encourage others to get involved with Wicklow Dementia Support’s Meet and Eat programme.
‘It’s very flexible and not a huge time commitment. I think anyone who gets involved will get a huge amount back and find it very enjoyable.’
For more information about volunteering or if you know someone who may benefit from the Meet and Eat project, please call Jenny O’Reilly at Wicklow Dementia Support at 089 428 6928 or by emailing info@wicklowdementissupport.org.
All volunteers are Garda vetted. The programme follows all HSE Covid-19 guidelines. The closing date for applications as a volunteer or participant is September 21.