00:02Wanda Janus' days are filled with music and laughter.
00:06They like to be with me because, you know, I'm funny and I'm joking with them and, you know, and
00:14I have a good time.
00:16But it hasn't always been like this.
00:18Wanda lives with dementia, a condition linked to increased levels of loneliness and social isolation.
00:24Seven years ago, she was introduced to Hannah, a volunteer at the Umbrella Multicultural Community Centre.
00:31I've seen her very happy when she danced. She became a bit different person when she danced.
00:39The program matches volunteers with older clients across Perth and, for some, it's the only social contact they have.
00:45One or two hours of spending time with these individuals, playing a card game or having a cup of tea
00:51or a coffee or going for a walk, that alone has completely changed their life.
00:57A survey conducted by the charity group Ending Loneliness Together revealed Australians aged 65 to 74 are more likely to
01:05experience social isolation.
01:07As the cost of living rises, families are under pressure to manage competing demands, leaving less time to visit and
01:14care for ageing loved ones.
01:15It's really helpful to those families, even from a respite perspective, to be able to give them a little bit
01:22of a sense of happiness that they know that mum and dad are okay because someone's having a cup of
01:27tea with them.
01:28Volunteers also seeing the benefits.
01:29I miss my mum quite often, so come and see Wanda. I just feel like I'm seeing my mum, so
01:39that's why I just feel good.
01:41Umbrella on the lookout for more volunteers, with a growing waitlist of older people keen to make new connections.
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