Whare Aroha Care village is set to open on this site in Ngongotaha next month. Photo/File
Whare Aroha Care village is set to open on this site in Ngongotaha next month. Photo/File
The world-leading Whare Aroha Care village is set to open in Rotorua next month and community volunteers are being called on to help support village residents.
The leading-edge aged-care village in Ngongotaha is the first of its kind to be built in the world based on the renowned Dutch dementiavillage, De Hogeweyk.
It will open its doors on August 30.
The village will initially cater for about 80 residents and has been designed to allow people to live in households with their own kitchens, dining rooms, and laundries, with professional support and carers close at hand.
The village, which has been built to replicate a small-scale New Zealand town, also features a supermarket, cafe, hairdresser, clubrooms and lakeside promenade - all of which are also open to the wider Ngongotaha and Rotorua communities.
Whare Aroha Care chief executive Therese Jeffs said volunteers were a critical piece of being able to provide ongoing independence and quality of life to people with dementia.
"When people move into the village, we want them to be able to continue to live their lives as they did before they had dementia and needed to move into care. Research shows that a stimulating environment has a significant impact on health and happiness.
"Volunteers are key to keeping alive the huge variety of things people love to do, which could include baking, gardening, woodwork, fixing cars, studying art, sports, spending time with children - the possibilities are endless," she said.
Ms Jeffs said they encouraged people to have an open mind about volunteering.
"It's not all bingo and sing-alongs. The best people to help them are people who love the same things as they do."
Whare Aroha Care's vision is to give people with dementia as normal a life as possible. It is also about including them in the wider community outside of the village. To make this level of independence possible, Whare Aroha Care will call on as many as 80 volunteers when the village is fully operational.
Volunteers will work under the direction of an employee and will be an equivalent colleague to them.
Julie Cowell is one volunteer who, with her dogs Sunny and Penny, has been visiting care homes, including Whare Aroha Care, for the past eight years as part of national pet therapy group Canine Friends.
Julie Cowell.
"Volunteering to me is about what other people get out of it, whether it's individuals, groups or organisations. Seeing people smile, give you a hug, or share their stories is also a big part of it, but what you're giving to others is the most powerful thing.
"If you're thinking about volunteering, think of what you could offer and just how much that would be appreciated and valued," she said.
Initially volunteers are required to help move residents from their current home on Hinemaru St to the village in Ngongotaha between August 30 and September 15.
If you can provide manpower, a truck, or just time to sit with residents in their new home while they settle in, please contact Lee Meijer at Whare Aroha Care on (07) 343 1572 or email lee.meijer@wharearoha.org.nz.
