The volunteer visitor is the most popular activity undertaken by
our volunteers and this is due to the flexibility and satisfaction
the role gives. This role involves anything from dropping in on an
older person for a coffee and a chat, checking that someone is all
right or arranging a trip to the local shops.
Some of the older people we help need more support, others less
so. As a volunteer visitor you'll be matched with an older person
living near you and you can fit visiting around your other
commitments and responsibilities.
Visiting can be a source of satisfaction, enjoyment and fun -
for the volunteer as well as the person being visited. Many of the
older people we support have life experiences and histories that
can fascinate and enthral. An hour or two can fly by.
We'll never ask more than you can give. You'll know that you can
fit your volunteering around the rest of your life but you'll see
the results first hand - in welcoming smiles, laughter and
gratitude.
Here's an overview of the role and the skills required:
Click here for a
full role profile and description.
If you would like to be a volunteer visitor for Independent Age,
email our volunteering
team, phone us on 020 7605 4255 or contact your local area
manager.
Meet Andy, volunteer visitor
Andy is a
truly dedicated volunteer visitor from Lincolnshire, who has been
with Independent Age for nine years. On retiring, he became a
volunteer visitor after finding out about the charity on a
volunteering jobs board at Grimsby council.
What made you choose to be a volunteer
visitor?
You get a chance to meet more people; you get to know people
instead of checking a sheet. I do that for one of my voluntary jobs
with another organisation, and it's nowhere near as fun as
Independent Age.
Could you describe a day in the life of an Independent
Age volunteer visitor?
I visit each person four times a year, and then I ring them each
month to make sure all is well. If there is a problem in between
times, then they'll call me.
Do you have to do anything special to prepare for each
visit?
I ring beforehand to arrange a mutually convenient time to
visit. Most of them are friends now, so it feels very informal and
relaxed.
What is your favourite part of the job? What you think
you personally gain from volunteering?
If they've got a minor problem around the home, you can call
caseworkers at head office to get it solved-or if there isn't
anything wrong, you have a good little chat, you laugh with them,
and you leave them feeling a little bit happier than they were when
you went in. You've either solved a problem or cheered them up.
And how much time would you say you spend each day, each
week, doing this?
It varies. Sometimes it could be a couple of weeks between
visits, sometimes they call more often if they've got a
problem. And obviously if they call you about something and
you can't sort it out on the phone, then you go and visit.
What kind of person would make a good
volunteer?
You have to be well-organised. If you make an appointment with
someone, you may be the only person they'll be seeing that week, so
they'll be waiting for you and looking forward to it. I think
you've got to have a sense of humour, that helps a lot. You have to
be able to smile. And you've got to be able to give them a bit of a
lead, and then listen.
