6 November 2020
An innovative daily newsletter
A team of dedicated volunteers have been keeping Arcare aged care residents’ spirits high during COVID-19 through an innovative daily newsletter.
The Daily Bulletin has been running for close to 200 consecutive days and is compiled by a team of just 10 volunteers and overseen by Arcare Volunteer Coordinator, Margaret (Marg) Furlong.
With the challenging nature and circumstances of the preventative lockdown, Arcare wanted to establish a program that would boost morale and keep the residents and team member across its 40 aged care communities in NSW, QLD and VIC feeling socially connected. The Daily Bulletins each include a variety of riddles, facts, jokes and ‘memory lane’ articles, which highlight iconic and historic events. Each day is themed – Motivating Monday, Technology Tuesday, Wellness Wednesday, Thankful Thursday, Feel Good Friday – to ensure content is uplifting and stimulating for its readers.
Residents from Arcare communities around Australia have been enjoying reading the Daily Bulletins supplied by Marg and her team. In September, the volunteers included stories and information on the Olympics, the Vegemite jingle, history of the Ice-Cream Van, the Construction of the Sydney Opera House, Rosh Hashanah and much more in their Daily Bulletin editions.
The volunteers are from all walks of life and have their own unique reason for joining the Daily Bulletins program and team, however, their goal is unified – to give back, stay busy and gain a sense of fulfilment during this difficult period of isolation. The Daily Bulletins are a part of the larger ‘Volunteering from Home’ program, introduced by Arcare back in March to enable 450 volunteers to continue to remotely support the residences throughout lockdown.
If you are interested in volunteering or joining Arcare’s Volunteering from Home program, you can find out more information: https://bit.ly/33hXJIo
