Meeting Senior Network Hofer Land
The District Office Hof informs:
Social engagement was the topic of the 5th meeting of the Hofer Land senior citizens' network, which takes place regularly in cooperation with the Hofer Land adult education center and the senior citizens' representatives from the city and district of Hof. In the past, current and regional topics on mobility, neighborhood assistance and for caregiving relatives have already been presented and discussed in this context.
This time, the focus was on volunteering. Volunteers and organizations that rely on volunteers reported on their experiences. Marion Margies presented her activities for the parishioners of the Trinity Church in Hof. As a senior companion, she provides valuable company and help in everyday life for lonely people and those with limited mobility. Ute Hopperdietzel from the district of Hof informed the 30 or so participants about the "Kulturpaten" project. The aim of this project is to maintain cultural participation for people who wish to be accompanied to events. For example, this could be attending a soccer match, or going to the cinema, concerts or theater. Recently trained cultural mentors Claudia Infante and Anna Adelt reported on their first experiences in this voluntary role. The third project presentation was given by Tom Köppel from Die Gruppe Jugendhilfe Hochfranken gGmbH. He presented the important assistance provided by the "family mentors" in the city and district of Hof: help without an application, trustworthy, flexible and comprehensive. When there are upheavals or changes in families, support is sometimes needed for a certain period of time in order to be able to stand "firmly on one's own two feet" again. Family mentors are trained and deployed precisely for this area of responsibility. Finally, Heinrich Wolf, Volunteer Officer at the District Office, reported on the importance of getting in touch with official bodies when it comes to organization and legal matters. His counterpart as contact person for volunteering at the city of Hof is Sebastian Ott.
Links to the offices mentioned:
www.hof.de/rathaus-service/rathaus/ehrenamt
www.landkreis-hof.de/perspektiven/senioren-pflege-inklusion/kulturpatenprojekt