Health and Welfare program
The Health and Welfare Programme of Fundació Autònoma Solidaria allows the university's students to volunteer in hospitals and care centres. Currently, the activities take place at two different centres: Vall d’Hebron Hospital and Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau.
- At Vall d’Hebron, the volunteer team carries out activities with young hospital in-patients, below the age of 18, in the Maternity and Children's Area.
- At Sant Pau, the volunteer team has the opportunity to carry out collective activities with hospitalized adults.
The Health and Welfare Programme has these main aims:
To improve the quality of life of young hospital in-patients during their convalescence, together with that of their families. Our volunteers organise games and entertainment to occupy at least part of these patients' long hours of free time and give them some respite from their illnesses.
To offer companionship to seniors suffering from dementia, or persons undergoing cognitive or neurological rehabilitation, building relationships across the generations, having fun and sharing experiences.
- To make life in hospital and care and nursing homes easier and more pleasant for patients.
- To organise games and entertainment to occupy at least part of these patients' long hours of free time and give them some respite from their illnesses, thus enhancing their emotional well-being.
- To promote socially beneficial attitudes and values: support, solidarity, empathy and mutual respect.
- To raise awareness about hospital patients' problems and anxieties, without pre‑conceived notions or condescension.
- To help in patients' rehabilitation and care.
Mobile games library
The mobile games library is a trolley that the volunteers use to take games and toys to the rooms of children unable to get to the games room or the computer room. Its main purpose is to give the children a chance to spend time playing games in the company of the volunteers, as a help to their families and caregivers.
Books cart
The books cart is a trolley of books that the volunteers take around the hospital wards, to be borrowed by the young patients. The volunteers lead story-telling sessions.
Support for isolated children
Fundació Autònoma Solidaria volunteers are specially trained at the start of the academic year to support children and teens who are in isolation rooms. These patients are unable to leave their rooms over a certain period and visiting is also restricted. The volunteer team is able to carry out different activities with children and teens in isolation, such as handicrafts, story‑telling and playing games.
As well as this, on special occasions like Christmas, Carnival time or Saint George's Day, volunteers put on events in the hospital's games room or computer room.
- Activities proposed by the volunteer team. These are spaces where playful activities (board games, dialogue tables, etc.) promote well-being and a social relationship with the patient.