What Does Volunteering in Aged Care Facility-Based Services Look Like?
Volunteering in Palliative Care ACT’s Aged Care Facility-based Services is about offering companionship, consistency, and kindness to residents receiving palliative care in residential aged care settings. As a volunteer, you become a familiar and friendly presence who residents and families can look forward to seeing.
Time spent with residents is shaped by their interests, energy levels, and wishes. Some visits might involve relaxed conversation, listening to stories, or simply sitting together and sharing quiet moments. Other visits may include reading aloud, playing board or card games, helping with letter writing, or supporting residents to use electronic devices to stay connected with loved ones.
Volunteers may also accompany residents on gentle outings, perhaps a walk around the grounds, a visit to a café, or another place meaningful to the resident. When appropriately trained, volunteers can provide soothing hand massages to promote relaxation and comfort.
For families, volunteers offer reassurance by being a regular, trusted presence when they are unable to visit as often as they would like. By spending time with their loved one, volunteers help reduce feelings of isolation and ensure residents feel seen, heard, and valued.
Volunteering in Aged Care Facilities with warmth, patience, and compassion helps to create moments of comfort, dignity, and companionship for residents during a vulnerable stage of life.
How to get involved
Getting started is simple:
- Complete a quick application form here
- Attend a pre-training interview
- Take part in our volunteer training course
- Begin volunteering with supported “buddy shifts” alongside experienced volunteers
If you’re looking for a way to give back that is truly impactful, volunteering with Palliative Care ACT offers the chance to make a lasting difference for others, and for yourself.
“It’s the tangibles and the relationships you establish, and the connections you make to people, that is the really rewarding thing” – Sarah, volunteer.
