They help staff in their every day duties, but more importantly they provide valuable social connections for the nursing home’s residents.
And lifestyle coordinator Berndatte Werner said the improvement that makes to overall health and wellbeing is noticeable.
“We have up to 30 volunteers who all work in different areas, including helping with our breakfasts and outings, bingo, exercise and our entertainers.
“There’s also our amazing Navorina Auxiliary group who are always fundraising and working towards improving the facility.
“Volunteers also sit on our advisory body meetings and include the priests of our local Catholic and Church of England churches.
“We thank them all for what they do for Navorina.”
Mrs Werner said more help is always welcome when it comes to socialising the residents.
“It might just be sitting there and having a chat, it might be taking the residents for a stroll along the river.
“A lot of people do get lonely and board, and that connection helps with overall health and mental health.
“Some of our residents don’t have families, or their families live out of town or might not be able to visit as much as they would like.
“That interaction with someone other than the staff can sometimes make all the difference.”
Navorina is a 60 bed high care facility with a dedicated memory care (dementia) wing.
The facility was built by the community for the community and takes pride in its ability to provide modern, evidence based, responsive care within a rural and regional setting.
If you would like to volunteer at Navorina, contact the team on (03) 5881 3944.
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