As an inspection volunteer, my role in the Care Inspectorate is to work closely with the team of specialist inspectors when they are on inspections. Inspection volunteers spend time with the people who are experiencing care and their carers to ensure that their views are reflected accurately. This helps the inspectors identify where things need to improve, helping to keep people safe and ensure that the rights of people experiencing care are respected and their needs met.

I decided to apply to become an inspection volunteer after I saw the good quality care that helped my mother to live independently, have choices and enjoy life well into her old age. We were fortunate that my mother was able to remain in her own home for a number of years with the support of an excellent home care team until she was finally admitted to hospital and then shortly after that a residential care home for the last few months of her nearly 100 years of life.

I recognised that having a good team of carers for my mother depended on the care providers employing the right staff, recognising their commitment and offering them appropriate supervision, training and on-going support. Yes, I did occasionally see that improvements were needed to the care provided, but when I raised my concerns these issues were quickly put right.

At that time, I become interested in volunteering with the Care Inspectorate. So, I attended some meetings and information sessions but I wasn’t able to make the commitment to be actively involved until recently.

When I was considering applying to become an inspection volunteer, I felt that I could bring good communication skills and a real concern that people, especially the most vulnerable, must be treated with respect and dignity and given a voice. However, my main concerns were around my ability to bring the right skills and attitudes to this very important volunteering role and whether I would be able to commit adequate time for training, preparation and inspections.

Training and support

Meeting with staff from the Care Inspectorate has been a very positive experience and my fears have been allayed. Volunteers are supported by a dedicated involvement and equalities team. Before going out on inspections, we are taken through a robust induction process including a training programme and shadow inspections. We are also supported by an involvement co-ordinator, receive on-going training and development, and have access to our own inspection and report writing guidance.

I have recently completed my induction process and I plan to be involved in my first inspection in the coming weeks. I am convinced that I will be supported in my journey as an inspection volunteer and will be given every encouragement to develop my skills and attributes.

Probably one of the greatest attributes that I bring to this role is my passionate belief that older people should experience good quality care and that their quality of life should not be limited due to lack of expectations of what it means to be an older person experiencing care.

Life after dementia

For example, I have seen first-hand through voluntary work in my local community that there is life after a diagnosis of dementia. People can still lead meaningful, fulfilling and active lives for quite a number of years. Old interests and skills can be reawakened, and people living with dementia are even learning new skills.

Our local lunch and social club for people living with dementia started nearly four years ago in Newton Mearns, Glasgow, and it is going from strength to strength. It is managed and run by volunteers, meets every Thursday and has 20 members with the same number of volunteers. We have been delighted by the response of our members to our programmes, particularly when they develop new skills and enjoy a wonderful sense of achievement.

We constantly review our programmes in response to the changing needs and wishes of our members. These programmes include art therapy, table-top games, compassionate touch therapy, cognitive stimulation therapy, intergenerational therapy and pet therapy. Music plays a large part in our therapy – when words fail, music speaks. One of our ladies who lost her ability to communicate verbally was word perfect as she sang a duet, and what a sense of achievement she had.

Our latest programme is intergenerational work with our local primary school, which involves some of our members visiting the school for an hour each week. We are also involved in our local health and social care partnership, and we have on-going links with Stirling and Strathclyde Universities as well as our local high school (with sixth-year pupils on placement with us).

This work is incredibly rewarding and the positive results are evident each week when we see our members are contented, relaxed and happy. Our support extends to carers, we speak with them each week, welcome them and share information. We also send out a weekly newsletter so that they can see what goes on at the club and what their loved ones participate in. One carer has told us that Thursday is the only day of the week when her husband is keen to get up and ready. She also spoke of the difference it makes to her life as a carer: “Thursday nights are happy, it is the only night we actually manage any conversation.”

Feedback from our members has also been very encouraging. One gentleman spoke of how much he enjoyed the club, particularly playing table tennis: “When I pick up the bat it's like a light bulb goes on in my head and I know what to do.” Another member explained: "When I go home I forget what I've done at the club, but the feeling of happiness stays with me for a long long time." It’s clear to me that good quality care can really enhance the quality of life for older people.

• If you’d like to find out more about volunteering with the Care Inspectorate please visit our Get Involved