Respite carers need your help

Tweed Valley Respite Care Volunteer co-ordinator Stephanie McKittrick.

Nadine Fisher

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THE TWEED Valley Respite Care is crying out for more volunteers.

The organisation that provides assistance in the disability and aged sectors wants people to take up the call to help before they reach crisis point.

Volunteer co-ordinator Stephanie McKittrick says volunteers are vital for the organisation to function in the Tweed community.

“We can’t function as a service without volunteers,” she said.

“They are such an integral part of our organisation – they enable us to provide the services we do.”

And the possibilities are endless for volunteers who want to contribute their time.

“We are calling for volunteers in our aged-care section, our disability section, in our gardening team and for a new program that we received federal funding for late last year,” she said.

“This new program is a dementia-monitoring program, and all volunteers for this will attend specific training.

“So you can see we are overflowing with opportunities for volunteers – and best of all, no experience is necessary.”

Ms McKittrick said Tweed Valley Respite Care had fantastic volunteers over the years who brought their life skills and knowledge to the programs which adds to the service.

“There are no out-of-pocket expenses for volunteers and all training is provided. We are a close-knit community here, just like a big family, and we support each other,” she said.

“We have student placements available and we welcome retirees as well as people who are interested in gaining experience to pursue work in the industry.

“And if you have a particular skill we’d love to be able to use it in our activities.”

Tweed Valley Respite Care Aged Care Services manager Bronwyn Mitchell said the dementia-monitoring program would target people in the early to middle stages of dementia and help them to maintain their independence.

“In this program volunteers may be helping the clients to make appointments, taking them shopping, planning their weekly calendar, maintaining social contact and helping with meal preparation,” she said.

“They will essentially be our eyes and ears for any changes in the progression of the client’s dementia. They will help us to maintain that vital connection.”

Interested?

Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer with Tweed Valley Respite Care is asked to register their interest on (02) 6674 2267. An information session is planned for later this month.