Staying engaged with society is a vital factor in personal wellbeing, especially for retirees. As Robin Osborne finds, local volunteers are deriving great benefits from the help they provide others.
“There’s no doubt volunteer work makes you feel younger”, says Joy Hall who grew up around Lismore and for the past 36 years has been donating significant chunks of her time to helping local people in need.
Meals on Wheels is her current volunteering focus - the sprightly octogenerian helps with home deliveries and serves on the organisation’s committee.
Her view is shared by Philip Penwright, one of around 20 volunteers at the Northern Rivers Community Gateway, which coordinates community support and information resources in the area. Volunteering Northern Rivers is one of the groups under its umbrella.
“It not only helps you feel younger but serves to remind you of how fortunate you are. One day I took four calls from people living in their cars.
“It also brings you into contact with a range of interesting people,” Philip adds.
‘Contact’ may be the key word - research and anecdotal experience confirm that social interaction is a vital part of people’s emotional, and as a result physical, wellbeing. This is especially important as we age.
Another group attracting older volunteers is the Alstonville branch of LinC, which has been operating for 18 years. The telephone referral service coordinates around 70 volunteers from the main local churches who transport clients to medical appointments, assist with shopping and do home visitation for people needing social contact.
Board Secretary Ruth Cook, now retired, feels that, “Volunteering keeps me active and in contact with people I would not normally meet. There are inbuilt rewards - a feeling of still being useful, of being able to help people, and doing something worthwhile. I understand research shows that volunteers live longer!”
Most LinC volunteers are “not young”, she adds, “But as older volunteers we can begin to identify with the issues of ageing, declining health and mobility, and understand the vulnerability of people in these situations.”
Joy and Philip agree, as does Jessica McDonald, the organisation’s Project Officer for Social Inclusion, who can’t speak highly enough of the value of volunteering, as much for the generous providers of time as for those conventionally seen as the beneficiaries.
“Here at Northern Rivers Community Gateway we support over 120 organisations and there are close to 100 volunteers engaged within our own organisation,” Jessica told GP Speak.
“We treasure our volunteers, many if not most of whom would be over 50s. They come to volunteering for different reasons and have very diverse life experiences and skills to contribute.
“Some people are really outgoing and want to have contact with clients, while others want to do something contained and quiet, but still meaningful. We sit with the volunteer, discuss their skills and interests and then aim to match them up with a role that would be interesting.”
Up to 20 volunteers assist in the office-based programs at any time, and another 80 within the Community Visitors Scheme (CVS).
Jessica adds that volunteers, who are often provided with training, can be referred to a range of not-for-profit organisations throughout the Northern Rivers region. These range from wildlife caring to the CVS whose volunteers are matched with an elderly resident at an aged care facility.
“Volunteers enrich the fabric of society and strengthen their local communities. They embody the notion that we are all responsible for each other in our communities, in some way. Life is richer when we feel connected to our community when we volunteer or benefit through the actions of volunteers” - Jessica McDonald
“The aim of this program is to reduce the social isolation and loneliness of residents of aged care facilities in the greater Lismore region, Casino and the Byron Shire.”
Certainly the local area has a volunteering record to be proud of: the last ABS report showed that in postcode 2480 some 23.2% of adults were engaged in voluntary work, compared to the national percentage of 17.8%. This equated to 8,263 people engaged in voluntary work through an organisation.
At the national level, it was estimated in 2011 that the value of formal volunteering to the economy was worth $24.5 billion, up by one-quarter over five years.
As may be gathered from Joy and Philip, there is no such thing as a ‘typical volunteer’, even though their responses to volunteering are remarkably similar.
“We meet people from many circumstances, cultures, ages, religions, professions, etc.,” Jessica explains.
“Our office-based volunteers tend to be people who have had experience in professional and/or administrative roles and who have valuable communication skills….
“We commonly host volunteers who have retired and who are looking to give back to their community. Without volunteers our communities would be missing so much of this and simply wouldn’t function as wholly nor as inclusively.”
The same may be said for volunteers themselves, who are finding a new lease on life through their selfless efforts. Suggesting the possibility of volunteering may be another useful tool for GP’s working with older patients.
As Joy Hall says, “You don’t need pills when you’re volunteering… you just need an active mind. It gives you something to wake up for, and there’s something most people can find to do.”
For inquiries about community volunteering, contact Northern Rivers Community Gateway on (02) 6621 7397 email:
