Out and About
LGBTI+ Home Visiting Service
Connecting older LGBTI+ people with community
Out and About is a free volunteer visiting service for older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI+)* people in Victoria. The service fosters meaningful, mutual connections to reduce social isolation and build friendship, solidarity and joy across generations and lived experiences.
Out and About is a specialist LGBTI+ service provided through the Aged Care Volunteer Visitors Scheme (ACVVS) and Switchboard’s Pride in Ageing program. It is jointly funded by the Australian and Victorian Governments.
Visits outside or at home
Out and About visits older LGBTI+ people at home, in hospital or in residential aged care. Our experienced staff match older LGBTI+ people with volunteers from LGBTIQA+ communities based on shared interests and location.
Activities may include having a coffee and a chat, watching a film, attending a community event or taking part in shared hobbies. Visits typically happen for an hour or two every fortnight at a time that suits both people.
Each connection is unique and shaped by those involved.
Friendly.
Free.
Confidential.
Affirming.
Being connected with community is good for our health, wellbeing and sense of safety as we age. Our staff and volunteers understand the experiences and needs of older LGBTI+ people.
Our service is friendly, free and confidential. We respect your privacy. Volunteers are screened, trained and supported to respect the safety and rights of the person they visit including their privacy, confidentiality and dignity.
Out and About - Clynton and Haydn
ABC's Ageless Friendships: S1, Episode 2
“I feel alive again.”
— Clynton, Older LGBTI+ Out and About participant
Joining Out and About
You can refer yourself or someone else (e.g. a resident, client, neighbour, friend or family member) living anywhere in Victoria. Please get the person’s consent before making a referral on their behalf.
Referrals can also be made confidentially by phone, email or post. Or you can contact us to request a referral form be mailed to you — we include a stamped return envelope.
Phone: 0466 218 921
outandabout@switchboard.org.au
79 - 81 Fitzroy Street
St Kilda, VIC 3182
Who can access the
Out and About service?
You are welcome to join our visiting service if you:
are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer, asexual or questioning, AND
live anywhere in Victoria, AND
are approved for or receiving a Home Care Package at home, OR
are any age living in residential aged care, OR
aged 60+ and experiencing social isolation (or 50+ for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people living with HIV).
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Yes! There are no fees for this service and all of our Out and About community visitors are volunteers. However, if the visit includes a movie or lunch at a cafe, both parties will need to pay their own costs.
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To be eligible to receive an Out and About volunteer visitor, a person must identify as LGBTI+ and be receiving a Home Care Package or be living in government funded residential aged care.
Eligibility for Home Care Packages and residential care is organised by the Aged Care Assessment Service. This can be arranged by calling My Aged Care 1800 200 422.
If you are unsure whether you’re eligible for a volunteer visitor, please call our Out and About Coordinator on 1800 729 367 or email outandabout@switchboard.org.au.
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Please contact our Out and About Coordinator to discuss your privacy concerns. In many cases you may still be able to receive a visitor. For more info, call 1800 729 367 or email outandabout@switchboard.org.au
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Yes! Although the program is aimed at older LGBTI+ people, our volunteers are happy to visit younger people who meet our eligibility criteria.
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Yes! We’re funded to provide volunteers Victoria wide. For more info, call 1800 729 367 or email outandabout@switchboard.org.au
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Our Out and About coordinator will contact the referring party as well as the aged care provider for further information. Next, the Coordinator will organise a time to meet the older person and discuss the program and their needs. A suitable volunteer will be selected from our volunteer pool based on location, any preferences expressed by the person, and common interests. The Out and About coordinator will arrange and attend the first meeting. If all parties are happy with the match visits will continue on a regular basis.
For more info, call 1800 729 367 or email outandabout@switchboard.org.au
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Our Out and About volunteers usually visit weekly for an hour, or fortnightly for two hours. Volunteers are asked to commit for a period of at least one year.
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Your visits are what you make them. The primary aim is to build community connections and reduce isolation through social activities that are mutually enjoyable. You might like to sit and chat about current affairs, walk to the local café, watch a movie together, tell each other stories from your life, or participate in a hobby, game or other activity.
Volunteer visitors are there for social activities only and should not engage in any other care activities such as shopping, cleaning or personal care. If the participant needs additional assistance, they should speak to their aged care provider.
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No. Our volunteers are there for social activities and friendship only. If you need additional help at home, please contact your aged care provider.
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We have a dedicated group of volunteers who are 18 to 80 years old and have a variety of backgrounds and interests. They receive training on their role, responsibilities and issues that may affect older people. We’re a peer-based service, so most of our volunteers identify as LGBTI+. If no appropriate LGBTI+ volunteer can be found, we may occasionally accept volunteers who do not identify as LGBTI+ but have a good knowledge and understanding of LGBTI+ people.
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Our volunteer visitors must respect the rights of the person they visit including privacy, confidentiality and dignity. As well, those receiving visits will also be required to respect the rights of the volunteer visitors. Contact the Coordinator if you wish to discuss further or for a copy of Switchboard’s Privacy Policy.
Become an Out and About volunteer visitor
We provide full training, regular supervision and ongoing support for our volunteers. Out and About visitors are aged 18 to 88 and come from all walks of life. All our volunteers identify as LGBTIQA+ or are strong allies.
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Build lasting friendships
Give back to the LGBTI+ community
Learn about ageing, inclusion and community support
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Volunteers commit to weekly or fortnightly visits
A minimum 12-month commitment is expected
Volunteers must respect the privacy and dignity of the people they visit
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Our volunteers work with vulnerable people and are expected to demonstrate the highest level of ethical conduct. Some of the skills required in this position are: a commitment to building and sustaining a friendship with an older LGBTI+ person over an extended period of time; strong communication skills, including listening skills; empathy; respect for the person’s beliefs, background and culture; willingness to seek advice, as appropriate.
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Some of the benefits of volunteering are: developing friendships with older people; giving back to and supporting LGBTI+ community; enhancing a person’s quality of life; gaining experience working with older people & aged care services; building connections with other volunteers; learning about LGBTI+ ageing through professional development & support sessions.
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Some of the challenges of volunteering are: learning to communicate with someone who may have a different communication style; finding activities that are enjoyable for you both; managing boundaries – being able to say no when the person asks you to undertake activities that are outside your role; making time for regular visits.
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Out and About volunteers receive training in LGBTI+ ageing, their role and responsibilities as a visitor, the rights of visitors and program participants, loss and grief, managing boundaries, administration requirements, code of conduct and occupational health and safety issues. We also run regular professional development sessions on topics relevant to LGBTI+ ageing.
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Volunteers are expected to visit weekly for 1 hour or fortnightly for 2 hours, with a minimum of 20 visits in a year. Volunteers are expected to commit for 12 months.
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Never! We’re very happy to take older volunteers.
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Yes! We’re always happy to hear from people in rural or regional Victoria who would like to volunteer. We will do our best to match you with someone in your local area, so you don’t need to travel too far. If there is no participant available when you register a regional inquiry, you may join a waiting list until a match becomes available in your area. [
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Volunteers are matched with an older LGBTI+ person based on location, common interests and any preferences expressed during the visit request process.
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If you would like to volunteer with us, please register your interest
"When I was looking to do a volunteer program, I was definitely looking for some sort of fulfilling connection with somebody who was older and part of the queer community."
— Haydn, ABC Life Video
(Out and About volunteer)
Clynton and Haydn develop a wonderful friendship through Switchboard’s Out and About volunteer program.
This story was made possible by ABC News
Out and About - Clynton and Haydn
ABC's Ageless Friendships: S1, Episode 2
Out and About - Dr Jennifer Glenister, ScD
LGBTI+ Community Visitors Program Interview
Switchboard Victoria interviews Dr Jennifer Glenister, ScD, regarding her experience of the Out and About LGBTI+ Community Visitors Program.
A podcast featuring interviews with Out and About participants, created in collaboration with Lesbians Inc and Queering the Air.
Produced by Meredith Butler and Thanh Hằng Phạm, with music by Mx Munro.
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