Volunteering with Screen Memories

Screen Memories is run purely on a volunteer basis. We go all over the country and believe it is vital to recruit keen, enthusiastic people who can help to establish the group sessions on a regular basis. There are many ways you can become a volunteer, from running the group yourself, to helping one of our team, by assisting with resources- or simply making some tea and cake and helping with the chat!

The volunteers who are involved in Screen Memories are recruited for their passion for cinema and their communication skills, especially with older people. They do NOT need to be experts on dementia, but do need to know some basic details. Our volunteer training contains elements of the well-established Dementia Friends programme provided by our colleagues from Alzheimer Scotland.

Many of the people that you meet in the groups will be living with dementia. The volunteer will never be expected to deal with anything other than film-related matters and there are always other carers or volunteers with you at all times.

The partnership of Screen Memories volunteer and professional staff is crucial to the success of the project.

Sometimes, in care homes, the two roles might be inter-changeable where the film champion is already a member of staff. Volunteers will be given a basic awareness of dementia, but the responsibility for medical, caring and social aspects of the group lies with the professional staff whether in a day care, hospital or care home setting.

Care Home staff will be able to take part in training sessions for Screen Memories work and knowledge of cinema, while helpful, will not be an essential pre-requisite.

Most staff will have some experience of reminiscence work and this is an extension of this form of work- but with a specialist focus.

The groups should provide a safe, non-threatening environment where there is respect and a freedom from stress. Sociability can be improved in a group with careful preparation and planning. By respecting past experiences, a sense of identity and belonging in the present can be fostered and an emotional security can be given. Screen Memories can provide this sense of belonging and being a member of a community of shared interest, could give this relationship within a group.

Social and mental stimulation is important and the community of interest within the Screen Memories groups can trigger other memories such as travel, transport, buildings and people.

Screen Memories has been described as an emotional roller-coaster. There are times of joy and laughter, and also moments of real raw emotion. These will be real stories, real experiences, real emotions and from real people.

We have seen the benefit of having local help at sessions, it adds to the community feel and local geographic knowledge enhances the personal experience we aim to create.

We provide training to anyone who wishes to get involved and we help to get your PVG checks underway. We also provide the resource material that can be used in a group. If you are a company who would like us to train a group of staff please email mike@screenmemories.org.uk

Please feel free to get in touch and we can find out the best way you can get involved.