Aged Care Volunteer Visitor

Volunteers in Lifeline WA’s Aged Care Volunteer Visitors Scheme (ACVVS) fill that role, reducing loneliness in our local community by visiting a recipient living in Aged Care. If you can spare an hour a week for a minimum of 6 months, join our rewarding program. Each volunteer visitor is carefully paired with an older aged person who has reached out to ACVVS for social support. The match considers each person’s interests, temperaments, personalities, cultural background and location. An ACVVS Volunteer: • is a companion, confidant and friend to the older aged person currently living in an Aged Care Facility or living in their own home and on an approved government funded Home Care package. • visits for 1 hour once a week, for at least 6 months. • increases the older aged person’s involvement in social activities within the community. • spends time together enjoying interests they share with the older aged person. • accepts and doesn’t judge. • may take the older aged person on short outings – for example, for a coffee, drive, meal, or river visit. Our ACVVS Recipients • Three in four of our ACVVS recipients have a diagnosis of a cognitive impairment such as dementia. This can affect a person’s memory, thinking, and ability to communicate or make sense of their surroundings. • People living with a cognitive impairment may sometimes become confused, forgetful, or disoriented, and their mood or behavior can change unexpectedly. This can at times make interactions more challenging for volunteers, conversations may not always flow as expected, and patience, flexibility, and understanding are essential. • With empathy, a calm approach, appropriate training and support from the ACVVS team, volunteers can provide valuable companionship and help maintain a sense of connection and dignity for the person they support. Benefits for a volunteer visitor include: • personal and professional growth • broadened social network and new experiences, including opportunities to connect with other ACVVS volunteers. • opportunities to learn new skills. • regular events, rewards and recognition • giving back to society • belonging to the Lifeline WA community • support from Lifeline WA’s dedicated coordinators. • psychological support through Lifeline WA’s Employee Assistance Program and wellbeing team.