1/4 Johannes is 12 and plays games with elderly people suffering from dementia (Photo: Jos Verkuijlen).
Johannes van Bijnen from Reek is 12 and does special volunteer work. From the age of nine he plays games every week or goes for a walk with demented elderly people. What he does stands out. That is why Johannes received the volunteer medal from the municipality of Maashorst.
Every week Johannes cycles immediately after school to residential care center De Nieuwe Hoeven in Schaijk. Elderly people with memory problems live here. He is sitting there at the table with resident Wim (92 years old). Together they play a game of Rummikub and that is fanatical. “I let him win”, Wim laughs. “Wim is better at Rummikub,” says Johannes. “Well, he was. Now I’ve practiced a lot and I’m winning.”
“I didn’t expect him to last this long.”
The volunteer work started when John was 9. As a toddler he had already been to the residential care center. When he cycled past it again, he was eager to get to work. “At home I first looked up whether it was legal to do volunteer work as a 9-year-old,” says Johannes. He sent a letter of application. “I wrote the letter to the boss of Nieuwe Hoeven.”
That letter ended up with Peggy van Boekel of BrabantZorg. “I liked that letter so much. We shouldn’t pass up that opportunity,” says Peggy. “I didn’t expect him to last so long. Three years now. We are very proud of him. Every week he provides a bright spot for the residents.”
“Wim sometimes tells stories that are not correct.”
“It’s just never boring,” says Johannes when you ask him why he’s been doing this for three years. “There’s always something to do. There are plenty of people to talk to, so I’m never bored. It’s so nice to see how happy they are when I come here and play games with them, for example.”
Johannes did have to get used to dealing with elderly people with dementia. “Wim has stories that are sometimes incorrect,” he says. “For example, he says that I have lived opposite him in Haren, but I have really lived in Reek all my life. He thinks he knows me from somewhere because I look very much like someone. At first I thought: why does he ask this so often “But now I know that and I’m fine. I can handle it very well.”
“He can say at home that he won from Ome Wim.”
Peggy van Boekel is happy with Johannes as such a young volunteer. She says she gets along very well with the elderly. “Children and the elderly respond very well to each other. That happens very spontaneously,” she says. “Elderly people get happy when they see children. You see them get excited when Johannes comes in.”
The special volunteer work stands out. Last week Johannes received the volunteer medal from the municipality of Maashorst as an appreciation for his work. “Very cool that I got it,” he says. “I do see it as something very special. I don’t know anyone 12 years old who does this.”
In the meantime, Johannes has won his second game of Rummikub from Wim. “Oh,” says William. “Can he say at home later that he won from Ome Wim.”