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Community Visitors Scheme
The Community Visitors Scheme improves the quality of life for older people by growing social connections.
It does this by providing approved, friendly volunteer visitors to older people who live at home alone or in residential aged care. Community visitors are matched to recipients based on their shared interests and location.
For older people, receiving regular visits creates companionship, which can improve mental health, increase self esteem, feelings of happiness and sense of purpose. It can reduce feelings of isolation, depression and anxiety.
- Volunteer visitors can connect with recipients via telephone, video chat or in person.
- Visit activities are co-created by a community visitor and a recipient. They can do whatever they both enjoy, such as reading a book together, going for a walk, listening to music, chatting, reminiscing or watching a favourite movie.
- We deliver the Community Visitors Scheme throughout the Northern Rivers region.
Community volunteer duties
Visits from a commnuity visitor are informal and relaxed, during which the volunteer and recipient might talk, play a game, read a book or listen to music. If the scheme recipient is mobile enough, they may both be able to go for a walk, a drive, visit a church, location or community event.
Community visitors are committed to:
- Visit a scheme recipient in their home for at least one hour every two weeks.
- Spend one-on-one, quality time with recipients.
- Be a companion and a friend during visits.
- Co-create activities that both volunteer and recipient enjoy.
- Help recipients with easily achievable daily chores and basic tasks when needed.
- Report monthly to our scheme coordinator.
To register your interest in volunteering as a community visitor, please complete the online form via the button below. It’s quick, easy and once you have completed it, someone from our volunteering team will contact you.
If you are an older person (or work with older people living at home alone or in residential aged care) and you would like to meet one of our community visitors, you can download and complete a referral form here. Once complete, please email it back to us at kahnquinlan@nrcg.org.au via the button below.
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Accreditation
Community Gateway is a registered charity and QIP accredited, assessed against the Quality Improvement Council Health and Community Services 7th Edition Standards.
Acknowledgement
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands on which we work and meet, and offer our respect to their elders, past, present and future.
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