Inclusion Melbourne facilitates volunteer visits that offer friendship, connection, and companionship to older people, and it’s a free service!
Who can receive a volunteer visitor?
An older person who is socially isolated and living in a Government-funded aged care facility, or an older person receiving Government-funded support to live independently at home.
Regular visits from trained volunteer visitors provide companionship, meaningful conversation, and social connection, which can significantly improve an older person’s overall quality of life.
These visits help reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation, support emotional wellbeing, and create opportunities for engagement in everyday activities, helping older people feel valued, connected, and less alone.
Goals of the Program
To provide friendship and companionship to older people and help foster meaningful social connections that support their emotional wellbeing and sense of belonging.
We support older people who may be feeling isolated, lonely, or disconnected from their community, particularly those facing additional challenges.
This includes people who are financially or socially disadvantaged, people from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, people living with disability or mental ill-health, LGBTQIA+ people, veterans, and others who may have limited opportunities for regular social interaction. Our aim is to create inclusive, respectful relationships that help older people feel valued, heard, and connected.
Refer an older person:
To refer an older person to this program, click here ACVVS Referral Enquiry
Older people can refer themselves. We also accept referrals from:
- Aged care service providers
- Family members
- Friends
- Health professionals.
Why the ACVVS is important?
Some older people can feel alone for various reasons. This includes:
- Feeling isolated from their culture and heritage
- Little contact with friends or relatives
- Mobility issues that prevent them from taking part in social or leisure activities
- Feeling left out
How we are funded
We are funded by the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing to:
- Recruit, train and support volunteer visitors
- Conduct clearance checks for volunteer visitors
- Match volunteer visitors to older people receiving aged care services
- Support the relationships that form between the volunteer visitors and the people they visit and ensure Volunteers visit at least 10 times per 6 month.
