Construction and Maintenance Volunteer Carlos Maria Ulloa Home for Elderly Placement ID: 305 Country: Costa Rica Location: San Jose Placement Category: Community Development Placement Type: Organizational Support Organization Type: Elder Care Minimum Duration: 2 weeks Language Skill: Intermediate Placement Fee: None Accommodation: BaseCamp OR Host Family Months Not Available: Available all year page 1 / 5
Job Description Carlos Maria Ulloa Elderly Care Home arose from the need to protect the Golden Citizens and provide a service that encourages the development of skills and abilities that enhance the quality of life of its residents; in a family atmosphere of tolerance and respect for the individuality of each person. The Home is the residence for many low-income elderly people of Costa Rica. The organization is responsible for ensuring that the residents have the attention and medical, psychological and therapeutic care needed for people of this age group. Likewise, everyday there are activities that provide entertainment for the residents so their days can be occupied with enjoyable activities. The Home has a population of over 100 residents and the staff are pressed to cover all the daily needs and care that these elderly people deserve. This is one of the reasons why the work of volunteers is essential to the daily operation of the Home. The facility requires construction and maintenance volunteers to support and assistance with the many types of tasks involved in maintaining the building. These chores do not necessarily involve direct contact with the residents. These types of tasks are of-course required to operate the facility and would be ideal for someone who wants to help and to contribute their energy in a positive way. Built in 1877 - the building is also an historic site of great significance - as such it requires a lot of energy and work by staff to maintain its upkeep and beautification. It is important to the well being of the elderly and disabled who reside there that their home is safe, tidy, and pleasant to look at. Volunteers at this placement would need experience in construction and maintenance of buildings, as well as painting. Volunteer Tasks Required General Repairs Construction and maintenance volunteers would assist the maintenance staff with repairs to the facilities. These chores may include bathroom renovations, roofing repairs, replacement of doors or windows or other structural repairs necessary to maintain a safe environment for its residents. Painting Construction and maintenance volunteers would be required to help with the painting of walls in any areas of the institution. The volunteers must leave any area clean at days end to ensure the safety of its residents. Gardening The facilities provides a large garden for its residents and construction and maintenance volunteers would be expected to help at least twice a week with the gardening chores. New Building Projects By the time a construction and maintenance volunteer arrives at their placement, small projects may have been created in order to provide better facilities for the residents. Volunteers may be asked to help with the construction of tables, benches, walls or other construction endeavours. page 2 / 5
Organization Details About the Organization El Hogar Carlos Maria Ulloa is a nonprofit institution founded over hundred and thirty years ago in order to make room for the elderly who for one reason or another need of a place with love, commitment and care. This organization strives to provide comprehensive care that meets the needs of the elderly population from all over the country and it serves; in a family environment, with tolerance and respect for the individuality of each person and to encourage the development of abilities and skills that enhance quality of life. Their mission is to provide a comprehensive care of the elderly, whose pillars are the welcoming and respect the individuality of each person, thereby enhancing their quality of life. And their vision is to provide a family atmosphere of acceptance and respect, which fully addresses on the needs of the elderly and boost their skills for a better quality of life. They have their on residence staff who take care of the "Golden Adults"; name given to the people older than sixty five years old in Costa Rica, on medical and nursing areas, dentistry and health dental education, barber and haircuts services, physical therapy, psicology, social work, nutrition, recreational and occupational therapy. They also provide transportation to the main hospital when elders need to be check on a specific medical area or surgery requested. When the Organization was Founded This home for the elderly is named after Carlos María Ulloa, who with the help of Bishop Thiel, provided assistance to the needy, elderly, chronically ill and disabled in San Jose - most of whom were abandoned by their families. He passed away on March 2, 1903 at the age of 70, after initiating a number of establishment for the protection of the disabled and infirm, He founded the society of St.Vincent de Paul, which encouraged the ladies of the society on 1877 to build a home for the elder population. How the Organization is Funded They received funds from the goverment and private institutions annually but they also organize activities like bingos in order to collect more resources to manage the needs of the institution. Role of Religion Within This Organization Yes, the organization is based on the Catholism since it is administrated by nuns. page 3 / 5
Placement Location Information Elderly Home Carlos Maria Ulloa was built between 1893 and 1896 but it has been repaired and remodeled through the years with funds from the government and donations from local and international companies. The home is located at a 6 hectares property, which has several buildings that are distributed into the different departments: seven dinning areas with their kitchen equipped with industrial appliances to cover the total population of the home, one laundry area with six industrial washing machines, one big TV room, one library, one building for the resident staff, one catholic church, one office for the main doctor and nurses and two buildings exclusive for the home residence and a lot of green area with ornamental flower so the people can be in contact with nature. The home is very close to downtown San José; five minutes away but the closer area offers several services for the local population of Guadalupe that they do not need to go to downtown. There are several stores of all type, restaurants, banks, several supermarket and parks. City Description San Jose is situated in the central valley and is home to one third of the population of Costa Rica. It is the political, transportation, and entertainment centre. San Jose is a hub of art, culture, and international events. There is a large system of inter-city parks, full of rare breeds of trees and plants, as well as statues of important figures in Costa Rican history. Festivals happen regularly, providing a unique look into contemporary Costa Rican culture. There are many opportunities in San Jose to learn to salsa, meringue or samba. San Jose has some incredible restaurants serving local and international fare, and has several cinemas showing Latin American films. The night life in San Jose is happening, and there are many great clubs in which to dance the night away. San Jose, is a fascinating city from a political perspective: as the only democratic nation to decline a national army (instead choosing to allocate funds to public health care), the capital has long been a centre for Central American peace talks and forums. A politically active city, San José, serves as the headquarters for the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. Points of Interest The population grew during the eighteenth century colonial planning, which was different from the traditional foundation plans of Spanish cities in the continent. Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, its objective was to concentrate the scattered inhabitants of the Aserrí Valley. To do so, the construction of a chapel near the area known as La Boca del Monte was ordered, and was completed two years later. That year St. Joseph was chosen as parish patron, hence its current name. The chapel, which was very modest, was erected with help from the church of Cartago. San Jose had water problems, and that was one of the main reasons that the population grew slowly. However, the water supply was assured by ditches, and the fertility of the surrounding fields along with the installation of the Tobacco Factory of Costa Rica, which aided urban concentration. San Jose, unlike what happened in Cartago, was not founded with a formal act of foundation, therefore it was not considered a city or town, and consequently lacked a city government. It was not until the enactment of the Constitution of Cadiz in 1812 that San Jose had its first city government. In 1813, the Spanish parliament gave the town the title of city, which was then lost in 1814 when Ferdinand VII of Spain annulled the proceedings by the courts. The municipal government was restored in 1820 with the title of city population. San José is one of the youngest capital cities in Latin America by year of conception, though it was not named capital until 1823. Today it is a modern city with bustling commerce, brisk expressions of art and architecture, and spurred by the country's improved tourism industry, it is a significant destination and stopover for foreign visitors. San José exerts a strong influence because of its proximity to other cities (Alajuela, Heredia and Cartago) and the country's demographic assemblage in the Central Valley. page 4 / 5
country's demographic assemblage in the Central Valley. San Jose, was founded in 1737, and became the capital of Costa Rica in 1823. The city grew very slowly and by 1940 the population was approximately 70,000. As land became scarcer in the rest of the country, many moved to San Jose, in search of a better life and by the 1970s and 1980s San Jose, was booming. It now is one of the largest cities in Central America. Weather in the Area San José City lies in the Torrid Zone and is in a tropical rainforest. However its elevation gives it a mild climate. Under the Köppen climate classification it features a tropical wet climate that borders on a subtropical highland climate. The temperature ranges between 17 and 30 C (63 and 86 F). Relative humidity averages 68.2% (with extremes of 55% in March and 78% in October) and the daily range tends to be between 60% and 90%, with the humidity typically dropping to the lower end of this range near mid-day and rising again during the night. It rains on an average of 170 days per year but half the rainfall pours down on only 15 of these days. The rainy season is from May to mid-november, but cloudiness and rainfall can occur during the dry season. There are approximately 2040 hours of sunshine per year. The weather is also very windy. Transportation From BaseCamp From the BaseCamp House, you will need to take the bus that goes to San Jose, there are four lines that go to downtown very often; every five minutes during the week. You have to get off the bus in front of Guadalupe Commercial Center. The Eldery Home Carlos Maria Ulloa is 50 meters south from it. page 5 / 5