I was lucky enough to be able to retire from a fast- paced corporate environment at the age of 61 years old and looked forward to lots of free time and relaxation! However, after about 3 months I became bored and felt disconnected from being “ part of something”- and let’s face it , there are only so many cupboards and drawers that need sorting !! At that time one of the co-founders of BIADS also happened to be a close friend of mine and she persuaded me to volunteer for BIADS. I was no stranger to dementia as my Mum had had vascular dementia, so I happily embarked on this new venture hoping to be able to contribute in some small way to the lives of families living with dementia. I soon began to realise just what a huge and positive impact BIADS had for both people with dementia and their carers .There was so much joy , laughter understanding and compassion within the “ BIADS family” and I absolutely loved being a volunteer helping at sessions such as Circle Dancing, Singers and Reminiscence groups finding the whole experience very rewarding.
Not long into my time as a volunteer some funding became available to appoint a part time Activity Coordinator, so I came out of retirement, applied and got the post ! That was the beginning of 9 enjoyable years working for BIADS , during which time I moved around and became involved in lots of different roles including fundraising, project work, volunteer monitoring, applying for funding , governance ( policy writing) and social media.
As my 70th approached and now having some “ Grandma duties “ to perform 😊it was time for retirement part 2!
However, the story doesn’t end here, I am still a volunteer working remotely managing BIADS Facebook page and writing / amending polices as and when required.
My experience of being a volunteer brought me a lot of satisfaction and personal fulfilment- it also proves that valuable contributions can still be made by “ mature” individuals and may even lead to employment , so why not give it a go!
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