Become a Volunteer Visitor and develop a meaningful friendship with an Older Australian!

• Do you enjoy meeting Older Australians and building positive, meaningful relationships?
• Do you enjoy volunteering, and having a positive impact on someone’s life?
• If you’ve answered yes to the above questions, then keep reading!

The Digital Literacy Foundation has joined the Department of Health and Aged Care’s new Aged Care Volunteer Visitor Scheme (ACVVS), working to recruit and support volunteers to visit socially isolated older Australians, to provide them with friendship and companionship.

As a result, we are on the lookout for friendly, engaging Volunteer Visitors who are over 18 years of age. The goal of the role is that you will develop a positive, meaningful friendship with a socially isolated older person by visiting them on an ongoing basis (at least fortnightly). You’ll need patience, enthusiasm, a desire to develop friendships, compassion, and reliability.

On your visits, the idea is that you share an activity that you both enjoy, based on mutual interests and mobility levels. You might share a cuppa and a chat, for example, or play board games, take a short walk in the garden, look at photos, reminisce, read the paper, listen to music...

Developing a meaningful friendship will have a mutually positive impact on you both. You’ll gain a sense of purpose and deeper connection with your community, and your regular visits can improve the quality of life of an older person, by helping them feel less isolated.

We need Volunteer Visitors who are based in the following areas:

Central West: Bathurst, Bowenfels, Gorman’s Hill, Kelso, Lithgow, Oberon, Singleton & Singleton Heights.

Nepean: Emu Plains, Freeman’s Reach, Jamisontown, Kingswood, Penrith, Richmond, St Mary’s, Werrington & Windsor.

Orana Far West: Dubbo, Mudgee and Wellington.

As a Volunteer Visitor, you will:

• Be reimbursed for travel mileage.
• Need to visit at least fortnightly (but ideally once a week).
• Undergo a National Police Check and reference checks.
• Receive dedicated, ongoing support and training from the Digital Literacy Foundation.
• Have had three Covid vaccinations.