Dogs are wonderful companions. But they can’t laugh with you at the funny Christmas sitcoms on television and they certainly don’t understand cricket.
Volunteer Pat Kennedy understands this well. Through her volunteer role with Uniting AgeWell Social Connections program she has seen first-hand the terrible emptiness that loneliness can cause and how volunteers can make a difference.
She chats to clients over the phone and has one-on-one visits with them – going to their homes, taking them out for coffee or browsing through the shops with them.
One of the clients Pat has helped over the last seven years was an older lady who lived alone and used to spend her evenings cuddled up in bed with her dog watching Australia take on England during The Ashes. “The minute I said hello to her on the phone, she couldn’t wait to tell me all about the game,” says Pat. “We became great friends.”
On International Volunteer Day and time to thank volunteers and to raise awareness of the important role they play in communities across the world. And here, at Uniting AgeWell.
Just ask Pat, who gets huge joy in making a difference to the lives of lonely older people. “We talk about all sorts of things,” says Pat. “The coronation, the weather, our experiences… it’s wonderful to hear their stories and to be a part of their lives.”
Pat is not alone in thinking this. Nearly half of over 300 volunteers from Uniting AgeWell Social Connections Program took part in survey this year to gauge their satisfaction levels.
The results show:
- Nearly 100% feel strongly supported by the organisation
- Over 95% feel appreciated
- Over 89% are motivated by a desire to give back, and
- Nearly 30% are also interested in meeting new people, with 10% also motivated by skills experience and their studies.
The Social Connections program is run in Victoria, and Jen Duniam, its Operations Manager, says volunteers are urgently needed, particularly in the Grampians and Melbourne’s east and south-east. “Volunteering to support someone remain living independently and continue to be socially engaged and do the things they love, is enriching the lives of older people - and of course yourselves!”
Volunteers for Uniting AgeWell are trained and like volunteers across the world, need to undergo compliance checks before starting. But they’re not onerous and don’t cost anything.
“We invest in them, they undergo training and induction and they certainly grow their inter-personal skills,” explains Jen. She says volunteers from the age of 18 upwards are welcome – and there is no upper age limit. According to the survey nearly 80% of the volunteers are over the age of 50.
“Those who speak second languages or come from different cultural backgrounds are especially needed,” explains Jen. Melbourne is a global village and it is wonderful for some of our older clients from non-Australian backgrounds to be able to connect with others from their countries of origin.
Jen says another benefit of volunteering is that it also sometimes becomes a springboard into paid future career paths.
Like any other organisation, Uniting AgeWell has an onboarding process for volunteers which involves necessary checks and balances, but the cost of Police and Working With Children Checks that are required, are borne by the organisation. Once the volunteer has gone through clearance, they are matched with a customer.
So if you want to enrich your life and the lives of older people in 2024, click the link below to learn more about volunteering with Uniting AgeWell.
Learn more about volunteering with Uniting AgeWell