If you have volunteered with the Alzheimer Society of Toronto, the name Harbel Singh Arora will be a familiar one. Harbel was a dedicated man who volunteered with the Alzheimer Society of Toronto every day for almost seventeen years to honour his sister with dementia.

Inspired by his family, Harbel’s grandson, Jagneet Arora, began volunteering with the society as well. As an employee of Deloitte, Jagneet has had the opportunity to participate in their Impact Day, which allows staff members to volunteer in the community.

This year, we invited Deloitte Impact Day volunteers, including Jagneet, to support the Alzheimer Society of Toronto’s iPod Project. With their help, we ran an iPod Refresher clinic which allowed caregivers to update the music on their iPods. The iPod Project provides personalized music for people in the community living with dementia.

By meeting caregivers, the volunteers, including Jagneet’s wife Gursimran, could see the immediate impact of their volunteer work.

“While the songs were loading, the caregivers told the volunteers some amazing stories about how this project has helped,” said Nicole Paton, Volunteer Coordinator. “It was so rewarding to hear family members were seeing a difference.”

One caregiver, Rebecca, said the iPod project has made an impact in her day-to -day caregiving. “Music can change my mother’s mood instantly and take her to a better place. In these moments, it’s like I’m seeing my real Mom again.”

With the annual support of Deloitte Impact Day volunteers, the Alzheimer Society of Toronto is able to find new and engaging ways to support the community. It is because of dedicated volunteers like the Arora family and Deloitte Impact Day that we are able to help people in Toronto live well with dementia.

For more information:
Alzheimer Society of Toronto iPod Project
Alzheimer Society of Toronto Volunteer Opportunities
Deloitte Impact Day