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Age Concern Albury Wodonga Inc.
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Neighbour Aid
Neighbour Aid Home Visiting Program - Memory Lane
This program aims to increase the respite options and social opportunities available to Albury carers and the person they care for, by linking them with community based volunteer supporters. The program aims to provide a well supported volunteer option for people with memory loss.
Who is eligible?
- Frail older people with a disability and their carers.
- Volunteers who have completed the required training and would like to make a commitment to visit regularly.
How does it work?
The Coordinator is advised of someone who would benefit from a visitor.
The Coordinator visits the person and, with the agreement of the participant, matches a visitor who successfully completed the required training.
The visitor calls weekly for up to two hours per visit and may simply go to the person's home, or take the person with memory loss for an outing.
This contact may involve a social activity such as shopping, a movie, fishing, attending a day care group, or going to a local sporting or social event. A visitor is given only one person and/or carer to visit.
Volunteer Matching
All reasonable care is taken to ensure that volunteers accepted into the Volunteer Training Program are appropriate to this role. All volunteers undergo an application process, including police check, and training prior to being accepted into the program.
The Neighbour Aid Coordinator will make every effort to appropriately match each visitor and participant on the program.
Support
The Neighbour Aid Coordinator will provide ongoing support to all program participants. Periodically contact will be made by phone or personal contact to see how things are going.
Ongoing training for volunteers will be provided by Age Concern and the Mercy Learning Centre.
The Benefits of Neighbour Aid - Memory Lane Visiting
- To provide additional opportunities for the person with memory loss to socialise with people other than their immediate family and existing informal networks
- To support carers to remain in their caring role by increasing the opportunities for regular respite
- To raise awareness of the caring role in the community by encouraging community participation
- To utilise community resources by creating volunteering opportunities in local communities.
What to do it you:
- Would like to have someone visit you
- Know of someone who may benefit from a visitor
- Would like to become a visitor
