Holiday at Home
Action ideas - Holiday at Home
Holiday at Home - select here for a PDF
Running a holiday club for the elderly
"Show respect to old people; stand up in their presence. Show respect also to your God. I am the Lord" (Leviticus 19:32)
I love it at awards ceremonies when famous people receive Lifetime Achievement Awards. These types of awards are normally given to people who are nearing the end of their careers. What I find most touching is that the celebrities applauding in the audience are the next generation down who look up to this person as an inspiration and a pioneer. The young respecting the old – celebrating those who have gone before them. If only it happened more often. Sadly, it doesn’t, with many of our elderly marginalised, shut away or even forgotten.
Today over 18% of the UK population is aged 65 and over – that’s a total of 10.7 million people. This rapidly growing group in society need support and opportunities to find faith. One way of doing this is to run a holiday club for older people, or “Holiday at Home”.
Traditionally, holiday clubs have been run for children during their school holidays. But holiday clubs for the elderly are taking off all over the country. One person who runs such a club is Church Army evangelist Alison Wooding, who works with the elderly on the Manor estate in Sheffield. Alison says: “When I visit older people they tell me that they feel neglected and valueless. I tell them that as children of God they have great value. They need to be respected for their past achievements and present contributions.”
She points out that many older people become even more isolated during the month of August. “This,” she says, “is because their carers or neighbours who pop in to see them often take holidays during this time. Also, regular clubs that are run for them often close down for the summer. So providing a holiday club for a week is a way of diluting the isolation.”
She advises: “In your planning and preparation, the team running the club should pray daily. Also, charge the attendees a reasonable amount. This puts a value on the club, and it maintains older people’s dignity – they are quite reticent to receive handouts. This may not cover the total cost of running the club, but you could seek funding from your local council.
"A typical week might include activities in the morning such as board games, jigsaws, craft, or newspapers for the folk who just want to chill, with copious amounts of tea. A hearty lunch can be followed by entertainment in the afternoon, such as a barbershop quartet, a magician or storytellers. A couple of afternoons you could include a trip out to a local site of interest. The ideal time for a Bible-based thought for the day would be just before lunch. And the period immediately after lunch could be set aside for prayer ministry."
Alison concludes: “My advice is: pray, have fun and be surprised by what God is doing and will do in people’s lives. Also, be prepared to learn a lot because in ministering to such a group of people we receive great blessings.”
Action points:
- Read Church Army's document, "Holiday at Home", which is No. 5 in the "Discovering Faith in Later Life" series. As well as looking in detail at the reasons for doing holiday clubs for older people, it contains suggested programmes for the week, policies for working with volunteers and vulnerable people, and other vital information. It can be downloaded at: Discovering Faith in Later Life
- Outlook Trust have produced a video and booklet containing all you need to know to run a “Holiday at Home”, including activities, dramas and even suggestions for meals. Details of how to order it can be found here: www.outlook-trust.org.uk/resources.htm
- Funding - local councils have resources set aside for work with older people. Find out from your local council if there is money dedicated to the needs of older people.
Alison Wooding is a Church Army evangelist working with older people on the Manor Estate in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.
