Community Connections and Good Morning Service

The goal is to mitigate the impact of loneliness and social isolation older people may experience by providing a regular volunteer visitor or phone call to enhance connections, wellbeing and fulfilling lives. Face to face: a volunteer visitor will visit the older person in their home on a weekly or fortnightly basis for a cuppa and chat, go for a walk and/or participate in other everyday activities people in the community enjoy doing. Volunteer callers: provide weekly welcoming phone calls to an older person to engage in conversation and to ensure the older person is safe and well.

Multiple benefits include maintaining the person's independence by providing opportunities to engage in social activities, developing personal skills, increasing social networks, promoting good health and wellbeing, providing people with information about services/supports available.
The initiative strengthens identification of those most vulnerable and at risk people within our community. Engaging at the local level supports those most hard to reach individuals who do not regularly access community and/or health services and whose needs may go unnoticed. As a result of receiving regular visits/calls from a volunteer it will encourage the older person to reconnect with their community and create social connections.