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Take care of Grandma Teresa in Northern Italy near Milano

5.0
(1 review)1

The experience

Hello! My name is Lily, and I’m helping my grandma Teresa (89 years old) find a kind girl to help her every morning.

She lives by herself in a big house, and while my dad and uncles visit her every day, she sometimes gets lonely and would really enjoy some company and help with daily chores.

We live in Vigevano, a small medieval town near Milano (30min)

⚠️ Grandma doesn’t speak English so knowing some Italian is a MUST for this position.

What you offer

25 hours of help per week

Gardening: Help grow plants and cultivate gardens

Cleaning: Help clean the kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms and common areas.

Kitchen Hand: Help prepare, finish and serve meals.

Elderly Care: Assisting and spending time with the elderly.

What you get

2 days off per week

Private Room: You will have a bed in a private room. In other words, a room just for you.

Breakfast: You are entitled to a free breakfast, every day of your stay.

Lunch: You are entitled to a free lunch, every day of your stay.

Dinner: You are entitled to a free dinner, every day of your stay.

Free Laundry: You can use our laundry room freely.

Bikes at your disposal: You can use our bikes any time you want.

Language lessons: Take free language classes at our place.

Use our equipped kitchen: Feel free to use our kitchen and make your own delicious food.

Basic Internet Access: Basic speed internet for you to work remotely

Requirements

Beginner Italian and Intermediate English

Over 18 years old

Only hosts solo volunteers (doesn’t accept couples or partners)

What's not included

Flights, Travel Insurance, Internal Transportation and Visa

Program Details

Our family

Grandma is a lively and very chatty old lady and will tell you many many stories about her childhood and her life in general. Her hearing is not so great but if you keep her company and listen to her she’ll be very very happy 😊

My family and I don’t live with grandma but we are very close, our house is 3 min by walk so you will often see us as we visit grandma quite frequently.
- Franco (61), my dad, loves to watch sports, to travel, and play padel. He also speaks intermediate English. 🎾
- Debora (56), my mom, is a warm and cheerful person from Brazil and can teach you Portuguese and Italian and speaks basic English. 🇧🇷
- I, Linda (31), love anything Japan related, I traveled to many places in the world and studied in China and Japan. I was an exchange student in the US and China when I was a teenager. I cook and bake healthy and delicious recipes 🍰 and often take long walks in the countryside in the morning when the weather is good ☀️
- Diana (28) speaks good English and is learning French. Recently she got super into crochet so she can teach you if you’d like 🧶 she speaks very good English

We are passionate about foreign languages so we can help you practice your italian as well as teach you Japanese, Portuguese and French.

Grandma, my dad and I love to cook and we all would love to teach you some traditional northern Italian dishes.

We can take you to museums and if we go on day trips you can come along so we will show you around.

If we see that you are fit for this position we will arrange an informal video call to get to know you, check your italian and answer your questions.

Activities & Shift

What We Ask:
Non-smoking, non-vaping, non-drug using.
1 volunteer only – we don’t have space for hosting couples or siblings.
Female only – grandma is more comfortable with girls.
Cheerful and kind personality – grandma is very talkative and loves lively conversation.
Italian speaker – she only speaks Italian and loves to chat!
Caring, nurturing and patient – she is almost 90yo.
Reliable, kind, and hardworking – we need help for 5 hours a day.
Clean and tidy.
Please understand that if you have some dietary restriction or you don’t like grandma’s cooking you will be responsible for cooking your own meals. You can use the kitchen freely.


Daily work:
Grandma is still independent and can do everything by herself, but she gets tired easily and her memory is not so good. You will do light household chores in the house and/or in the garden in the morning from 8:00 to 13:00 from Monday to Friday.
The Daily Tasks include but are not limited to:
- Open the blinds and open the windows to air up the place.
- Clean the heater and turn it on (winter).
- Wash the dishes from the previous dinner after breakfast and dry them.
- Keep an eye on the stove while Nonna’s cooking just in case she forgets.
- Help set the table for lunch. After, clean up and wash the dishes.
- Sweep the floor in the common areas and your room.
- Keep bathroom sink and mirror clean.
- Hang and fold laundry.
- Help with gardening (spring/summer).
- Help with other tasks if needed.
Saturdays and Sundays will be your days off so feel free to enjoy your time in Italy and travel to as many places as you want, we can give you some suggestions or help you plan your trips.

Rules

House Rules:
No smoking.
No drinking to the point you get drunk.
No drugs.
No parties in the house.
No inviting people in the house without asking us beforehand.
No sleepovers.
No noise after 22:00.
No phone while on duty.
No recording or filming in the property and uploading online.
No sharing our personal and financial information.
No eating outside kitchen and dining room.
Have good hygiene.
Tidy up after yourself.
Keep the house clean including your room and the bathroom.

⚠️ If the rules are not followed we will ask you to leave with 1 week notice. However immediate termination without notice may occur in case of serious misconduct.


Accommodation:
Private room in the house.
You’ll share the rest of the house with grandma.
There’s a garden with a small patio for you to use if you want to relax.


Food:
Breakfast
We will provide Italian breakfast, which usually is caffelatte/tea/coffee with some pastries or biscuits. I know it could be quite different from what you may be used to but it is what we eat in Italy everyday.

Lunch and Dinner
We provide basic groceries which are commonly used at home. Usually grandma cooks a first and a second dish and then you can have a dessert and fruits.
You're allowed to consume food in the pantries and in the fridge, and in case you have dietary restrictions or you don’t like grandma’s cooking you will be responsible for cooking your own meals and buying your very own items.


In case of illness/injury:
If you become ill or injured, we will continue to provide accommodation and appropriate care. If you'll be unable to work for more than 10 days due to illness, we may terminate the arrangement, providing a one-week grace period.
⚠️ We will ask proof of a valid international medical insurance before arriving to Italy.