The Community Care Programme is an extra-curricular activity for Year 13 & 14 pupils which promotes friendships between young people and the elderly.  Each week the pupils visit the elderly in a local nursing home – Harold McCauley House.

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Pupils benefit from this programme and their visits has heightened their awareness and understanding of how the elderly have contributed to society.  They enjoy the experience as it builds and maintains friendships and gives them the opportunity to learn about elderly people’s experiences.  Through this programme pupils develop commitment and reliability.

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Some of the activities undertaken by the Year 13 & 14 pupils include talking, reading, bingo, board games, playing musical instruments, assisting with activities such as baking, concerts, Christmas parties, etc.

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The programme runs from October to April and even when the programme has officially ended some pupils continue to visit the new friends they have made.

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The programme is organised by Mrs Braden and she is very grateful to the pupils who take part and to the residents of the Nursing Home for allowing the pupils to visit them.

 

*Please note that this programme is currently suspended due to the covid-19 pandemic restrictions. We hope to resume this programme as soon as possible.

 

Mrs A Braden

 

‘Penpal Programme’

 

In conjunction with the Health and Social Care Department, Mrs Braden and Mrs Hempton organised another activity for Year 13 Health and Social Care pupils to participate in called the ‘Penpal Programme’. For this programme, we work with Granard Residential Home in Omagh who specialise in caring for individuals with dementia, mental health conditions and learning disabilities. Initially, each pupil writes to one resident to introduce themselves and the resident then writes back. This then continues back and forth.

 

Pupils really enjoy the opportunity to give something back to their local community and to help brighten up a resident’s day. We have received excellent feedback from Granard Residential Home who appreciates the efforts of our pupils and they said their residents thoroughly enjoyed receiving the letters.

 

Mrs Braden and Mrs Hempton thanks pupils for participating and Granard Residential Home for working with us on this programme as it is such a worthwhile and rewarding experience.

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