RSL Care Celebrates Volunteers Week

RSL Care Centaur Memorial located in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast has a strong cohort of 45 volunteers who contribute over 13,000 hours of support each year to the staff, residents and families.

The strong volunteer base is attributed to excellent leadership form the Residential Manager, exceptional management and co-ordinational skills from the Diversional Therapist and strong community connections within the Sunshine Coast.

Volunteers are predominately on boarded through positive word of mouth and their visibility in the community – they wear bright blue shirts saying ‘Warning Older People Still Having Fun’ on them. 

Volunteers keep coming back as there is a sense of comradeship amongst them, they feel supported in their roles and they know they are making a valuable contribution.

“Due to the additional support of the volunteers our site has implemented many new programs and initiatives including a community garden, day trips, overnight holidays and a men’s club,” Pam said.

“Each and every one of them bring new and interesting skills to their role, they offer new ideas and resources we may never even have thought of using.”

Recently one of the most important things the volunteers have been doing has been family support for those in Palliative Care.

“The volunteers are very understanding that those with palliating family members are going through a great deal of emotional stress and our volunteers have been providing emotional support to them and even just sitting with them by their beds is providing a great deal of comfort and security,” Pam said. 

Centaur Memorial has excellent community engagement and partners with Sunshine Coast Volunteers, the local RSL, Legacy, Red Cross, BlueCare opposite their site, local schools and surrounding RSL Care sites to hold events and activities.

Through this high level of community engagement and support the weekly activity calendar is bursting full of things to do and shopping trips have now extended to three times per week.

“People in the community see us when we are out with our residents, they love our shirts. They ask to take photographs with us, I think we have wound up as far away as England,” Pam said.

“Without the volunteers we wouldn’t be able to do this, we can have one-on-one shopping trips with a resident and a volunteer and that makes it really special.” 

Find out more about RSL Care.