Volunteer Experience
Bemidji State University Volunteer Experience at Neilson Place Volunteering sixty hours at an agency was a requirement of the Field Experience in Social Work course for the purpose of introducing students to social work practice. Because of this, the author chose to complete her volunteer experience at the Woodsedge Senior Living in Bemidji, specifically, Neilson Place. Following is a description of Neilson Place and whom it serves, as well the author’s reflection on the agency and her volunteer experience.
Neilson Place Located in Bemidji, Minnesota, Woodsedge Senior Living offers a community for the older population under the Sanford Health organization. Connected on the premises are a nursing …show more content…
Its mission is to provide a community opportunity for the older living population by offering 24 Hour-skilled nursing care and a sub-acute rehabilitation unit, therapy, pain management, dining services, recreation, wound care, hospice care and respite care, licensed nursing, a registered dietitian, a social worker, and chaplaincy (Sanford Health, 2016). The resident is the main focus in the facility, and helping each one live his or her life to the fullest potential, and as independent as possible, is the …show more content…
I learned that each resident is entitled to his own opinion, even if it doesn’t seem to be in his best interests. Also, although I was not required to document many things, I was asked to record each one-on-one time I spent with the residents. As I would return home from volunteering, I would intentionally remember several things: to keep the residents’ information confidential, to take care of myself after being involved in some emotionally draining situations, and to treat each resident with respect and value their worth upon the next time of