By Juliano Oliveira
More Queenslanders are enlisting in the Care Army as the number of seniors assisted by volunteers across the state increase.
The State Government has informed that over 100,000 phone calls to older people have been made since last March. The quantity of volunteers is also expressive: 28,500.
“I’m delighted that around 98% of the older Queenslanders contacted said they were receiving the support they needed to stay home and stay safe from family, friends and neighbours,” said Minister for Seniors Coralee O’Rourke.
“Since the Community Recovery Hotline was activated to connect people with the Care Army, around 12,000 people have called in, and more than 2,500 have been helped or assisted.”
Mrs O’Rourke also exalted the work done by Volunteering Queensland with the coordination of the Care Army registrations and for linking volunteers to organisations in need in their local area.
“Members of the Care Army have been assisting with a range of tasks, including delivering food and supplies, stocking shelves and calling isolated Queenslanders who are in need of social connections,” she said.
“We have also asked local governments to get on board and we have contacted over 2000 non-government organisations (NGOs) across Queensland to register their need for additional volunteers.
Queensland seniors who don’t have an existing support network can continue to contact the Community Recovery Hotline on 1800 173 349.
If you want to join the Care Army, click here.