Pioneering YOPEY volunteers visit Mellish House.
14th May 2018
Mellish House were delighted to host a YOPEY befriending event last week at our care home in Sudbury.A YOPEY Befriender is a young person who volunteers to visit a care home near their school and befriend lonely residents, many of them living with dementia and are easing loneliness and isolation whilst learning valuable life lessons and vital skills for the future.Our residents really enjoyed meeting the YOPEY befrienders, as well as several YOPEY volunteers who came along too, and before long they were participating in some interactive fun together around our newly installed ‘Magic Table.’This proved to be a wonderful bonding experience which was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone involved and we hope that these visits and scheme will transform the lives of both our residents and the student volunteers.Having enjoyed interacting with each other and joining in a variety of activities, our residents and volunteers enjoyed a delicious afternoon tea together, provided by our hospitality team.
Mellish House Manager, Maekhala Allan said;“Our residents really enjoy the company of the YOPEY volunteers and we all look forward to their visits.”"At Mellish House, we continuously improve the lives of our residents through offering wide ranging activities and events both in and outside of the home involving members of the local community as often as possible."
Mellish House is a purpose-built home providing residential care for up to 48 elderly residents living with dementia and we are proud to have been rated 'Outstanding' by the CQC in our most recent report published late last year.Our residents are always supported to maintain their interests and hobbies and our Lead Activities Coordinator is extremely enthusiastic and passionate about the role she plays and the support that people receive.Along with our three Activities Coordinators, our aim is to support people to participate in a range of social activities. These include both in-house activities and sessions led by external groups and entertainers and provide much loved events and social occasions for all to enjoy.YOPEY is a small organisation that started in 2004 and became a charity in 2012. Its founder was made an MBE in 2017. There are YOPEY Befriender schemes in Cambridgeshire, Dorset, Essex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Nottinghamshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. So far over 500 teenagers have volunteered to visit care homes weekly to make friends with residents.If you would like to find out more about this event and/or life at Mellish House, please contact us on 0808 223 5523 or [email protected].