As the communityâs need for its services grows, one local nonprofit is seeking additional volunteers.
Launched and led by high school students, Movements for the Mind is an organization devoted to helping seniors with dementia through the use of music and art. Due to the expansion, organizers are looking for additional volunteers to send videos to the seniors and help organize activities.
According to co-founder Mira Rajagopalan, an Amador Valley High School sophomore, the group is mostly looking for teenagers to join the organization, but people of any age are welcome to volunteer.
âVolunteers do not need any background in caregiving or working with elders; they just have to be interested in art or music and helping our elders,â she said. âSome traits that we look for are patience, empathy and compassion.â
Watching a loved one deal with the effects of dementia isnât an easy thing for someone of any age to go through, and it can be especially devastating for young people to witness.
After going through this upheaval, a group of area teens started Movements for the Mind, a service organization that provides art and music therapy to people with dementia as a means of strengthening their memories.
âOur group created this nonprofit because many on our team have had family members suffer from dementia, and others have made connections with people going through cognitive change through their volunteer work at elderly homes in the past,â said Abby Baldwin, the groupâs treasurer. âLosing memories and accounts of important events in your life is saddening and can be lonely. We want to use our skills in music and art to help brighten the lives of people who may be going through dark times.â