J.O.Y Wolfville Nursing Home Volunteer Program
601 Main st B4P 1E9 Wolfville, NS, Canada

During my time at Acadia I was lucky enough to get a volunteer position at the Wolfville Nursing home. When at the home my duty was to assist a resident during feeding times. The woman I was paired with was nonverbal and was unable to successfully feed herself on her own. This type of interaction was unlike anything I had done before. I learned that hand feeding someone is not as simple as it sounds; I had to understand how to interpret the woman’s facial expressions, figure ...out a reasonable feeding pace and how to make a connection with her without words. The experience overall made me see how the simple things in our lives we sometimes take for granted give us so much independence. I see now that having to rely on someone else to feed you can be dehumanizing. I took my position very seriously, and felt a great deal of gratitude towards the woman who trusted me with that honorable role in her life. I still remember the twinkle in her eyes on good days, and the occasional smile she would flash that would light up my day. Both the students and residents benefit so much from programs like this! See more

My name is Samantha Billard and I am a fourth year Kinesiology student. I started volunteering at the Wolfville Nursing Home last year and it has been a wonderful experience. I help out with the Hike Nova Scotia program, which is encouraging the residents to walk with you and you can also chat! You see the difference you can make in someones day by taking time to walk or talk with them. They really appreciate someone taking time to be with them. Every week, I sit and have a chat with one of the residents and she tells me how much she looks forward to it every week. Knowing how much I can light up their day inspires me to work with seniors after I graduate. I always feel happy after volunteering at the nursing home knowing that I could be a positive impact in someones day!

Don’t forget about the orientation tonight at 4:30! It will be held at the Wolfville nursing home facility and will take between 1-2hours.

My name is Andrew Snyder and I graduated from Acadia University in May of 2016. I started to volunteer at the Wolfville Nursing Home in my second year at Acadia and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I heard about the opportunity from my older brother, Matt Snyder. He volunteered at the home as part of his Wellness & Aging course. When I was a volunteer at the Wolfville Nursing Home, there were only a handful of male residents. My role was to get the gentlemen engaged in activities t...hat suited their interests. We played a variety of card games, dominoes, crokinole, and virtual fishing on the TV. We also worked on woodworking projects that were later sold at their annual yard sale. It was a lot fun to take part in activities with the men, but for me, the special part about volunteering at the nursing home was sharing stories and creating friendships with the residents. It was so interesting to hear about their lives and all of their hilarious stories along the way. Every week after leaving the home, it was such a great feeling to know that I helped make their day better - as they always did to mine. If you’re looking to get involved in the Wolfville Community and want to make the most of your experience at Acadia, I would highly recommend volunteering at the Wolfville Nursing Home!

My name is Kailey Evans from St. Andrews, Manitoba and I am in my 4th year studying Kinesiology. I have always had an interest in working with older adults but have never really had the opportunity until I came to Acadia. I started volunteering at the Wolfville Nursing Home last year and I took part in the Hike Nova Scotia program. It is walking program where I invite the residents to walk with me so they can get some physical activity in and add a social aspect into their da...y! I met so many amazing residents and we really became good friends. They wouldn’t always remember my name but they would light up when I walked into the room. It was interesting to hear about their lives and they liked hearing about mine. I always left the Nursing Home feeling happy that I could help with a small portion of their day but also one of the best parts of their day. I strongly encourage any student to volunteer at the Nursing Home. You help out the residents but in reality you take away so much more because you learn about yourself and you learn more about the degree you are studying because you can relate it to the older population. I have never regretted deciding to volunteer at the nursing home and it has truly been a great experience! See more

For those wondering about the different volunteer opportunities, the job descriptions can be found in the "Photo" section under "Albums"!

Welcome back Acadia Volunteers. As always we have some great opportunities for students who wish to volunteer at the Wolfville Nursing Home or at Wickwire Place Assisted Living Facility. Contact Margaret Coghill at [email protected] if you are interested in gaining valuable experience with seniors. Remember to apply for your Police Record Check, including the Vulnerable Sector so you are able to start right away. No experience required and you will definately brighten someone's day!

Hello everyone! If you are staying in Wolfville for the summer and are interesting in volunteering at the Wolfville Nursing Home be sure to contact Margaret by sending her an email. Right now is the perfect time to get your criminal record check processed at the local police station. Having your criminal record check in before you start volunteering ensures that you will be able to start once you are free from the stress of exams. A lot of the summer programming happens outside so you will get to enjoy the outdoors with good company. Feel free to contact us with any questions.

My name is Dominique, I am a fourth year biology student at Acadia. I’ve been volunteering at the Wolfville Nursing Home for 2 years now. I started out doing arts and crafts with the residents on Wednesday evenings. This was a really fun activity and they really seemed to enjoy it. Due to a change in my schedule I could no longer host this event so since then I have been hosting exercises with the residents Monday mornings at 10am. This is my favourite activity so far! It is so rewarding and really gives you the opportunity to make a difference. I would love to see more students involved at the nursing home. This home heavily relies on volunteers for many activities and I know it is extremely appreciated my the staff and the residents.

My name is Maxim but everyone calls me Max. In my third year of my Acadia bKIN degree I volunteered at the Wolfville Nursing Home as a part of my Wellness and Aging course requirements. I am very glad to have had the chance to volunteer and learn from my experiences as a volunteer. Visiting the nursing home once per week I would assist Margaret and her staff with social activities including the Hike NS walking program, birthday parties, assisting residents to the living room ...or to the rec hall for social events (house council meetings, live music by local musicians, and interactive group games). I met many great people and learned a lot about the need for assistance in the nursing home setting. The prevalence of aging continues to increase and so does the demand for provision of care for the elderly. The fact that aging is inevitable for us all should make us reflect on our quality of life and how lucky we are. Some day we are all going to be old, so we should provide care for the elderly if we hope to get the same in return. You would be surprised at how much you can learn from the stories and life experiences of the elderly. They have been through more than we could ever imagine. See more

Due to the overwhelmingly positive response from all you fabulous people, the program coordinator Margaret Coghill is briskly trying to respond to the large influx of emails. She will be intouch with all of you who have previously contacted her starting Nov 1st via email. If you are a new prospective volunteer who has yet to contact Margaret Coghill, you will be placed on a waiting list but you will definitely be placed! ... Please see our new "Steps to Volunteer" post as you now need a criminal record check BEFORE you can go into an interview