DAN McKay spent his career educating others, but said there is a lot to learn from his new volunteer role with the Community Visitors Service (CVS).
The 67-year-old Nundah resident has been volunteering for the Queensland-based service, which is funded by the federal government and run by community organisation Aurous, for the past two years.
The service connects volunteers with residential aged care recipients who are in need of social interaction.
Not only does it provide face to face visits for many local residents, it also connects volunteers to residents all around the country via online Skype visits.
Dan said when he retired, he was determined to do something useful with his time and started looking into volunteer work he could do for causes that were important to him.
"It (volunteering) fills my time and makes me feel good about myself," he said.
"I enjoy talking to older people. There is so much to learn from them."
"My two daughters have grown up and I'm a single man, so time is something I have plenty of."
Dan visits three local clients each week and also takes part in three digital Skype visits with clients of the service who are based in Port Lincoln, Rockhampton and Darwin.
He said a member of the Aurous team visited clients utilising the Skype service to give them a tablet, teach them how to use it and if necessary, to teach their carers how to set it up.
Dan said the service was also starting to incorporate technology in a number of other exciting ways, including a new virtual reality tool for residents who are close enough for face to face visits.
"We take them around to the people we visit and are able to take them back to their home towns to visit places they haven't visited for many years," he said.
He said it was a very rewarding feeling to build up a rapport with residents and encouraged anyone else who felt they could spare the time to consider volunteering.
"The more you talk to them and get to know them, the more they open up and feel comfortable telling you about themselves."
'Most people like to talk and that's all you've got to do - just ask some questions and find some commonalities," he said.
Aurous is currently looking for participants who are over the age of 65 and may be at risk of social isolation and loneliness as well as volunteers.
While Dan, who is also a volunteer for the Noonga Reconciliation Group and the Australian Cuban Friendship Society, currently visits six people each week, people willing to spend just 30 minutes to an hour a week could still be of great value to the project.
"Most people like to talk and that's all you've got to do. Just ask some questions and find some commonalities," Dan said.
Aurous launched in 1976 under its original name of Golden Years.
It has been running the Community Visitors Service locally for the past 18 years and the Digital Community Visitors Service nationwide for the past 5 years. Aurous
It is the only provider in Australia to offer a digital community visitor's service.
For more information call 1800-287-687, or click here.
