Volunteers needed to brighten up the week for Rotorua elders

Those who have always wanted the opportunity to give someone a helping hand and brighten someone's week have the chance through our local service.

Age Concern Rotorua supports older Kiwis to have a healthy lifestyle thats full of opportunities and are protected from harm. 

The growing number of elderly who are lonely or socially isolated in Rotorua is huge. Manager Rory O'Rourke says that we as an organisation do not have enough volunteers to support the number of referrals.

"This number will only rise given that the number of over 65s (10,000 in Rotorua) is set to double by 2030."

Volunteers will be matched with an elderly person who has a similar background and interests, and who can enjoy each other's company. It can involve anything from:

• Visiting their elderly match on a weekly basis for about an hour
• Catching up with them on a phone call if they cannot visit
• Going out for a drive, coffee or bite to eat
• Shopping for food and/or essentials with or for them

"For the volunteer, they know they are making a difference to somebody's life and are also making a friendship. We are finding there is an increase of people in the community who, because of ill health or mobility issues, can't drive or leave home so it's hard to do the shopping or socialise."

For more information on how you can volunteer please call Age Concern (07) 347-1539.