Many people wait until a family member is diagnosed with dementia to think about volunteering in care facilities. The goal is usually to better understand dementia, as well as learn how to better care for their family member who has dementia. The problem with this is that it becomes a situation of “too little, too late”.
For many people, especially if they have never had any dealings with dementia-related experiences, by the time a family member is diagnosed with dementia, it is probably already in an advanced stage. Therefore, time has already run out for learning how to take care of someone with dementia because learnt or not, the patient needs caring immediately. This usually comes with great stress because the carer feels inadequate and frustrated, especially if there are other life issues simultaneously causing stress (work, raising children, mortgage, etc.). Resources are tapped out, which means volunteering is the last thing that will come to fruition.
While no one in the family has been diagnosed with dementia, while career demands are not crushing, while children’s needs do not take over life – these are all optimal times to volunteer in dementia care facilities. One great personal benefit is that it is “practice” for if and when a dementia diagnosis turns up in the future. Two other great benefits are to society: care facilities are often overwhelmed and understaffed, which means volunteerism is in tremendous need, and many of the patients in care facilities are there because they don’t have family members who can provide round-the-clock care, which means volunteers become much-needed surrogate family.