Australian Red Cross has been making a difference in the Southern Region since 1988. Our vital services and branch support networks stretch across the region from Helensburgh in the north, to the Victorian border in the south, taking in the Southern Highlands.
Service specific to the Southern region
Home Support Service - assisting the housebound or people with a disability living in the Wingecaribee Shire. Trained volunteers provide the company of a friendly visitor, and help socially isolated people to feel part of their community.
Edward's story
Although ninety-year-old Edward* lives alone, he is far from lonely. Every day at 8am, Edward has a friendly chat on the phone to a Red Cross volunteer who calls to make sure that he is all right. Edward is just one of many Telecross clients in the Southern region, who are monitored by 596 Red Cross volunteers on a rotating system.
The reassurance provided by the daily phone call is a relief to many elderly and housebound people in the region. Says Edward, "I have been receiving calls from Red Cross for about three years and I think it's a fantastic idea. It gives me a real sense of security knowing that every morning someone will call for a quick chat to see if I'm okay."