Volunteering in the Nursing Homes in the District of České Budějovice

The subject of my thesis is the phenomenon of volunteering, its value and benefit for both nursing homes for the elderly in the České Budějovice district and also for the clients of these facilities. In the health and social field, volunteering should have its irreplaceable role and serve to make senior citizens? leisure time more pleasant. The thesis deals with the issue of attitude to volunteering and the perception of volunteers by the elderly. The theoretical section explains the concept of volunteering, its history and present, and barriers to its further development. Its further elaborates on the period of aging and old age, changes and biological changes during it and the senior population demographics. It explains the concept of social services, in particular the services in homes for the elderly, since the research is conducted in these facilities. It briefly describes each facility in which the research was conducted. The practical section, using qualitative research, the method of interviewing and the technique of semi-structured interviews, tries to find answers to the main and partial research questions. Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with social workers from nursing homes for the elderly in the České Budějovice district, and 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted with the senior citizens who are involved in the volunteer programme. The research also included finding the causes and barriers to the development of volunteering and search for reasons why volunteering is not implemented in some facilities. This bachelor?s thesis can be used as feedback for nursing homes for the elderly and it may serve to enhance awareness of volunteering in these types of facilities in the České Budějovice district