108 Bargara Rd
Bundaberg East, Qld, 4670
For five years, Ursula Lueg has been brightening the lives of older Australians as a volunteer with IMPACT Community Services through the Aged Care Volunteer Visitor Scheme (ACVVS).
The Australian Government-funded program connects volunteers with older people experiencing social isolation, whether in their own homes or in residential aged care, offering companionship through regular visits.
With many older Australians experiencing loneliness, programs like ACVVS play a vital role in building connection and community across Bundaberg and the North Burnett.
For Ursula, it was her friend and former IMPACT ACVVS Coordinator Heather Hinsbey who first encouraged her to get involved. At the time, Ursula was hesitant, unsure if she had the time to commit.
Now, five years on, she says the experience has given her far more than she expected.
“It helps me to stay open,” Ursula said. “I'm not just concentrating in my own little world.”
“I personally have a few neighbours I visit for myself, who are elderly people.
“I will just knock on the door and say, are you okay? Do you need anything?”
Through her volunteering, Ursula has found connection in more ways than one, not just within her Bundaberg community, but also with her German heritage.
A year after falling in love with Australia as a German tourist in 1979, Ursula decided to make our country her home. Her German roots make Ursula a perfect match for local German seniors who wish to speak their first language during visits.
Ursula’s first match was with a German woman who had lost her husband and was struggling with loneliness. Ursula visited her at her home, where they’d often settle in the backyard with coffee and a bite to eat.
Next, she was matched with Yvonne, a woman living in a residential aged care facility. Ursula said that Yvonne’s poor hearing made it challenging to connect at first, but Heather soon came to the rescue with a hearing device.
“I put it on and you could see her eyes lights flicker,” Ursula said.
“I could ask her questions. She was so sweet.”
When Yvonne passed away, it deeply affected Ursula. That’s where IMPACT’s training plays a crucial role, helping volunteers understand their boundaries, navigate grief and care for themselves.
Ursula pushed through this tough chapter and came out stronger. She now visits James, a mutual dog owner and lover.
She said that James asked her to bring her dog, Charlie, along to their catchups, and the rest is history.
“There isn't a much easier way to connect than through a dog,” Ursula said.
“I say we’re going to visit James and Charlie looks up, hops in the car and knows exactly where we're going because he gets beautiful little treats.”
To those considering volunteering, Ursula’s message is crystal clear: it’s worth it.
IMPACT asks that volunteers visit once per fortnight at a minimum. Ursula said that while young people are busy with their work and social lives, ACVVS can easily fit into their schedules and teach them valuable life lessons along the way.
“Young people would learn to respect and see that older people are not just old,” Ursula said.
“They have a wealth of experience and humour, and they're not taking things so seriously anymore.”
Whether volunteer visitors and seniors play board games, listen to music or reminisce about days gone by during their time together, it’s time well spent.
Funded by The Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, the Aged Care Volunteer Visitor Scheme is for everyone, young, old and in-between.
Anyone with as little as an hour a fortnight can make a difference.
To become a volunteer visitor and help bring connection to someone in your community, visit www.impact.org.au/support-and-wellbeing/volunteer
At just 24 years old, Ariah Goodluck is leading the way for young people to help combat social isolation and connect with society’s older generation.
The young electrician recently joined IMPACT Community Services’ AGED CARE VOLUNTEER VISITORS SCHEME (formerly Community Visitor's Scheme ), a friendship program that links volunteer visitors with people living in aged care facilities or who receive in-home care throughout the Bundaberg and Burnett regions.
Ariah’s enthusiasm is infectious, and several of her friends and family members are also planning to volunteer in the program, which aims to tackle social isolation in older people.
The television show Old People’s Home for Teenagers inspired Ariah to join the program, with the content hitting close to home as she regularly observes elderly family members losing friends and family and attending funerals.
While she hasn’t yet made her first visit, Ariah said she was looking forward to forging a new friendship and benefiting from the wisdom the older generation has to offer.
“I saw the difference [the friendships] made on the show and… it’d be nice to bring a bit of light to people,” she said.
Ariah is encouraging others to get involved in the AGED CARE VOLUNTEER VISITORS SCHEME (formerly Community Visitor's Scheme ), with friends, her mother and even her 93-year-old grandmother keen to join. Her grandmother, who is part of her inspiration for taking part in the scheme, is teaching her to play cards in preparation for her visits once she is matched with a participant.
Ariah said she feels it’s important to reduce loneliness in older people, and by taking part in the scheme she hopes to allow them to feel like they have family again.
“For the small amount of time you can give, you can make a big impact in someone’s life,” she said.
Scheme coordinator Heather Hinsbey said she would love to see more young people involved in the AGED CARE VOLUNTEER VISITORS SCHEME (formerly Community Visitor's Scheme ), as they have different skills and life experiences to bring to the table, including the ability to share knowledge of technology.
Heather said: “We ask that you visit a minimum of once a fortnight spending time doing something you both enjoy.”
“You might like to go for short walks outside, play card games, help to write letters or even just have a cuppa and a chat,” she said.
IMPACT’s AGED CARE VOLUNTEER VISITORS SCHEME (formerly Community Visitor's Scheme ) celebrates 30 years this year and is a valuable community volunteering opportunity that has been improving the lives of our isolated older people. Volunteer opportunities are available in Bundaberg, Monto, Gayndah, Childers and Gin Gin.
Interested in volunteering? Call Heather on 0448 035 891 or 07 4153 4233.
Feeling lonely, particularly for the older people in our community, is no small matter - it can have a significant impact on one’s wellbeing.
According to the World Health Organisation, ‘a large body of research shows that social isolation and loneliness have a serious impact on older people’s physical and mental health, quality of life, and their longevity’.
WHO state, ‘the effect of social isolation and loneliness on mortality is comparable to that of other well-established risk factors such as smoking, obesity, and physical inactivity’.
For many older people in our community experiencing social isolation can be combated by volunteers with the Community Visitor Scheme.
When volunteering with Community Visitor Scheme at IMPACT Community Services, you can spend at least an hour each fortnight visiting people in aged care facilities, or whom have home care packages.
This friendship program is about enriching lives, so it’s important that you are both enjoying the time you spend together. Some of the activities IMPACT’s volunteers do are playing cards and board games, listening to music, going for a short walk, having a cuppa and a chat or even letter writing.
People may be experiencing social isolation for myriad of reasons, from little contact with friends or relatives, to feeling isolated from their culture and heritage, and mobility issues that prevent them from taking part in social or leisure activities.
ACVVS volunteers can improve help people feel less lonely.
While no one is immune from feelings of loneliness, we can do our part to make friends, family and older community members feel a little less alone by volunteering.
IMPACT has been delivering the ACVVS in the region for nearly 30 years, helping thousands of people stay connected and find new friends.
Quality social connections play a huge role in our wellbeing, and by volunteering with ACVVS you could be making a positive difference in the life of someone else, and yourself.
IMPACT has volunteering opportunities Bundaberg, Monto, Gayndah, Childers, and Gin Gin.
To find out more about volunteering at IMPACT, phone Heather on 0448 035 891 or 07 4153 4233.
