Voluntary services for the elderly (NEW UPDATE)
The majority of European citizens are able to lead an active, participatory and healthy live into an old age. This brings opportunities to innovative firms. In Germany the elderly are with the ‘Freiwilligendienste aller Generationen’ encouraged to volunteer in various areas. For instance, with the caring for people with a disability or helping out in nurseries.
Bringing younger and older generations together
The bridges between the various stages of life are increasing
and have become more complex. The aim of the project is to
bring younger and older volunteers together. A specific example is
the SV Nettwark project in Norden. Younger and older people jointly
coach and train teams of children in schools and clubs encouraging
them to live a healthy and sportive life. The project started in
2009 with 20 volunteers and now has grown to 40 volunteers. The
German government has published a list of good practices which can
serve as a guidance for volunteer opportunities.
An innovative aspect; mobile teams
A special and innovative aspect of the project are the mobile
teams which form the link between the volunteers and organisations
needing them. The mobile teams visit and advise local
authorities that want to develop their own strategies to promote
volunteering specially focused on the older generation. The project
is run and financed by the German Ministry for Family, the Elderly,
Women and Children. The project has an budget of 25 million euro
for the first two years (2009-2011).