Meet Andriana

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My name is Andriana. I am a retired school service officer (SSO) and am of Greek Cypriot descent. Being a widower, it’s always nice to have emotional connections to others outside of my family. 

I started my volunteering journey with MCCSA in 2019. I was interested in volunteering and searched ‘Seek’ (the online employment database) to find that MCCSA were looking for Greek-speaking volunteers. After contacting MCCSA and being accepted for the volunteer position, I was excited to start my journey and be matched with my first client. I can say now, that it has been a great experience – having had many deep and meaningful conversations with my clients. I enjoy getting to see a glimmer of happiness and youth when I put on some classic Greek music. 

Volunteering has given me the opportunity to meet new people in the Greek community, and to learn about their life experiences and the things that have been important to them. I enjoy giving back to the community and helping where I can.

Over the years, I have been matched with both men and women clients. As is natural in the aged care sector, some clients have sadly passed away during our time together. Others have moved to different care facilities, making it challenging to maintain our connection. While it often feels that the journey has ended prematurely, I’m always hoping that these clients are doing well and feeling as fulfilled as possible, wherever they are now.

I’ve had many positive experiences with the Aged Care Volunteer Visitors Scheme (ACVVS), but there are a few that have stuck with me:

In one instance, I was visiting a couple in their home – chatting over coffee and catching up on their favourite (and very popular) Greek soap opera, until the vision-impaired husband passed away suddenly. The wife had to move into a care facility. At first, she was reluctant to have visitors in her new home, because of the change in her environment – but she soon had a change of heart. I’m glad she changed her mind, as she now looks forward to my visits. We talk about the years gone by, reminiscing on the memories of her husband and her childhood, and I hear how her family is and what her grandchildren have achieved. Her health is declining, and I feel honoured that we can still spend time together. I hope to bring some comfort during her remaining years, as she faces the challenges of progressing dementia. I reflect on how difficult it must be for her, to be less mobile and unable to do the things she used to love, like gardening (which was her favourite thing to do).

I visited another couple in another facility. The husband was such a funny man! I will cherish our chats together, as he was so knowledgeable about politics and history, and he had such an interesting life. I always learnt something new, every time I visited. Sadly, after he passed away, his wife also became bedridden. She was always appreciative of my company, as her family didn’t visit as often as they used to. I am happy to be the person that someone can rely on for company and a chat, even if it is just for a few short hours a week.

It has always been in my nature to be compassionate and supportive to those around me, especially those who may not have any close family or friends to rely on. My experience is that people in care really appreciate the extra, less ‘clinical’ human contact.

To support my visitor role, MCCSA offers educational sessions at their Community Hub in the city, free for volunteers. I have attended workshops about Diabetes, Fruit Flies, the Rights of our Ageing Population, and Cultural Intelligence through culturalQ. I love learning new things and I feel the sessions are useful for my general knowledge. The trainings allow me to reflect on my role and ensure the social needs of those I visit are being met.

It’s always a pleasure to meet and catch up with others who are also volunteering with MCCSA. MCCSA regularly hosts social events and workshops, including an end-of-year celebration, where we can connect, share our experiences, journey and appreciation for this organisation that provides such a service to the community. I have made some life-long friends through volunteering.

It has been such an overwhelmingly wonderful experience to be involved in ACVVS, that I hope to continue volunteering for as long as I am able to. I believe it is important to support those in our community who feel isolated due to language barriers. Volunteer visits help them to maintain connections to their country of origin and first language, while also fostering a sense of belonging in their local community.