Teenage Volunteers at Mellish House
24th July 2018
Mellish House care home in Sudbury, were delighted to appear in a video on the BBC called ‘Teens make dementia patients 'feel alive.'Through the charity YOPEY Befriender, young people are encouraged to talk and visit older people in their communities to try and help tackle loneliness and isolation, whilst learning valuable life lessons and vital skills for the future.Mellish House are proud to have been working with YOPEY Befriender for some time and so were very happy to appear in the video to highlight the great work they do in their local community.You can view the BBC video here.Our residents really enjoy meeting the YOPEY befrienders too. Residents comments such as
“It perks me up and makes me feel alive…” and “It brightens up my day when Bethany comes…” has proved to us here at Mellish House that it is a wonderful bonding experience which is thoroughly enjoyed by everyone involved.We hope to continue working with them and these visits and scheme will continue to transform the lives of both our residents and the volunteers.
Maekhala Allan, Home Manager, 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.”
About YOPEY
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.Mellish House Care Home is a purpose-built home providing residential care for up to 48 elderly residents living with a form of dementia. We are very proud to announce Mellish House has been rated Outstanding by the CQC in the most recent report published on 30th December 2017. Read their report here. If you would like to find out about life at Mellish House or come and visit, please do contact us on 0808 223 5523 or [email protected].