ELLA - Lifelong learning for senior citizens

ELLA - Lifelong learning for senior citizens

Timeframe: 2005 - 2008

Objectives:

The strategic aim of the project was to develop a new means of access to ‘lifelong learning’ for older people in residential care. The aim of educating older people with voluntary workers as the medium of social interaction was not to teach new knowledge and skills but to further ‘educate’ the older person and the volunteer in their interaction with one another. While the volunteer retrieved and acknowledged the ageing person’s remaining memories and experiences, s/he at the same time gave his/her partner a reason to preserve the memories further, to remain in contact with others and to consider his/her existence meaningful.

Partners:

• Diakonisches Werk der Ev. Kirche von Westfalen, Germany (project coordination)
• Diakonie Gütersloh, Germany;
• Forschungsgesellschaft für Gerontologie, Germany;
• Miteinander Leben - Verein für selbstbestimmtes Wohnen trotz Beeinträchtigungen (An association for independent living despite impairment), Austria; 
• C.A.R.D.O., Slovakia;
• European Volunteer Centre (CEV), Europe.

Products developed during the project:

• A project-specific intellectual concept
• PR materials for publicity and for the winning of interested volunteers (flyer, posters, handshakes, etc.)
• A curriculum, which integrates the experiences and consolidated findings of all partners participating in the project. The curriculum includes modules in regard to contents as well as didactical and methodical leaflets for the instruction and attendance of volunteers
• At the end of the project, guidelines were published. It is addressed to persons and institutions that accompany the volunteers into their domains during working time
• A European-wide certificate that certifies the volunteers’ skills. The certificate shall aid in the volunteers’ further motivation for social engagement, but can also confirm an individual’s professional and social competences for his or her professional life
• The project was scientifically documented. Documentation of the progress and an evaluation report was made available on the Internet to a wide range of professional audiences in all of the partners’ countries in order to reflect upon the subject and further develop one’s own offer.The products is available in German and English, as well as in the national language of each partner organization. All named products are available in PDF versions.

Final Conference:

On 18 and 19 September the project partners presented the final project guide of the 3-year-GRUNDTVIG project ELLA. The project looked at how volunteers can be mediators for learning of elderly people. This pilot project developed a training module for volunteers as so-called "education mediators" working with elderly people in senior citizens’ residences and nursing homes. The trainig handbook as well as experiences of the volunteers trained in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Slovakia are now available in English and German.

For further information , please visit ELLA website www.projekt-ella.eu.

   This project was financed by the European Commission under the GRUNDTVIG programme.