Anam Cara wouldn’t be the place it is today without the efforts of our amazing volunteers. Our volunteers are the life and soul of Anam Cara, helping us with everything from our day programs, overnight and day respite, carers accommodation, administration and so much more. We recently interviewed Fay Thompson, one of our beloved day respite and overnight accommodation volunteers.
After working for over 20 years in aged care, Anam Cara was a new ray of light for Fay- volunteering at Anam Cara allowed Fay to continue work in her field of expertise and provided the work flexibility she needed. “I left work due to back problems and couldn’t work full time and felt as though I was drifting from day to day, so I needed to go out and do something. I was approached by a friend who already worked at Anam Cara and encouraged me to come and volunteer,” said Fay.
Since August last year, Fay has been volunteering at Anam Cara for 3 days a week using her experience and skills across many of the organisation’s services from laundry and housekeeping to the supervision of day respite programs. “It’s a very rewarding thing to do. The team gives the utmost care to guests and their loved ones,” said Fay.
The volunteers at Anam Cara are backed by a team of highly trained division 1 trained nurses, which Fay believes are a huge asset to the organisation. “The nurses do an amazing job, they really do. It goes beyond the 8am-5pm job, it’s a 24-hour job. We are guided by them and the feedback we from them receive is terrific as well,” she said.
Fond memories of Fay’s time volunteering at Anam Cara include interacting with guests during day respite activities such as gardening and cooking. She also cherishes the special bonds that she makes with the guests. “As a volunteer, you are part of the extended family… You make a bond with the people that do come in and they do look forward to seeing everyone from week to week”, she said. “Everyone at Anam Cara goes out of their way to make things a lot easier for guests and their families. If there are any special things, they request they go out of their way to make it happen”, she said.
