Aged Care Companion
Aged Care Companion volunteers increase the opportunity for leisure and lifestyle activities and enhance the emotional and social support available to residents in our aged care facilities.
Working alongside Nurses and Activity Coordinators, your goal as a volunteer is to help reduce feelings of loneliness, isolation and boredom for residents. You will encourage residents in conversation, gentle activities and promote healthy social connections.
This role will be tailored to the personal skills and interests of each volunteer as well as the needs of the residents. In addition to your agreed leisure and lifestyle activities (from the list below), general duties for this role include companionship for residents and support for staff.
This is a personal and rewarding role, bringing joy to elderly people experiencing cognitive decline.
General Duties:
- Provide support to residents:
- Fetch blankets, towels and pillows to ensure personal comfort.
- Prepare cups of tea, coffee and water in the resident tearoom on request.
- Assist with mealtime by opening food packets and helping to clear away trays.
- Assist with making phone calls and writing letters.
- Maintain information displays and help staff keep common areas clean and tidy.
- Field patient and visitor enquiries to staff.
- Spend time with residents:
- Listen to resident stories with empathy and non-judgement.
- Reminiscence activities using discussion, books and other resources.
- Use of diversional activities such as fiddle boards and fiddle mats.
- Reading or playing quiet games with residents.
- Assist residents to walk around the facility (as permitted by health staff).
- Accompany Activity Coordinators and residents on community outings.
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Optional Leisure & Lifestyle Activities (additional training may be required)
- Biography and story writing service
- Gentle hand or head massage
- Painting nails
- Hairstyling
- Musical performance
- Lifestyle demonstrations (eg. cooking)
- Interactive gardening
- Facilitating guided relaxations
