Charity work in Helsinki's Old Peoples' home in full force

Charity in Helsinki In the spring of 2008 the Amma group in Helsinki, Finland began helping the elderly. One home for the elderly, Kustaankartano, has received as guests a group of half-a-dozen volunteers, who have taken the elderly out for fresh air.

"The permanent workers do a valuable job with a very small number of workers. The volunteer workers can ease the nurses' workload", says Sami Kurko, whose idea it was to start doing the voluntary work.

The voluntary work is being done on a floor where during daytime from three to four nurses take care of 21 elderly people, who are largely wheel chair bound. Help is greatly appreciated in Kustaankartano.

"The voluntary work is essential for us. It is a great joy and creates opportunities for the elderly to get out from the ward", Saara Sierilä says. She works for the city and is in charge of the volunteer workers.

Kurko feels that at least in the beginning it is suitable to make a visit once a month. He hopes that in the future it would be possible for the elderly to get some friends who could visit the ward according to an individual schedule.

Charity in Helsinki The volunteer workers have mainly been taking the elderly out for fresh air and chatting with them.

"According to a survey done in Kustaankartano the number one thing the elderly wanted was somebody to take them out for a stroll. Second came musical performances and chatting", Kurko said.

The Amma Centres' voluntary work expanded outside of Helsinki in May. The Amma group in Porvoo started visiting elderly homes as well.

During the visit to Kustaankartano in May a peaceful, carefree atmosphere filled the guest room, as the elderly chatted with the volunteer workers. Some of them knew each other from before. After this "warm-up chat" they went for a walk to admire the beautiful spring nature and the animals of the area.

After two hours it was time to leave the residents of the house to enjoy their lunch. One of the helpers summed up a universal truth: "When you give, you always receive more."