Telechat

Available Australia-wide.

Build community connections from the safety of home with Telechat, a phone-based social service. Telechat can help you meet new people and stay connected to the wider world through regular phone calls with an Australian Red Cross volunteer.

Like our in-person Visiting service, when you sign up for Telechat, we’ll match you with a volunteer who shares your interests, background, values or culture. You tell us what matters to you, and we’ll do our best to find a volunteer who fits the bill.

Telechat options

Your volunteer will call you every week or fortnight (you can choose!) for a chat. What you talk about during your Telechat calls is up to you and your matched volunteer.

It could be:

• what’s happening in the news
• what your grandkids have been up to
• what’s blooming in your garden
• what you’re reading
• what you’ve been watching on TV.

Please note that Telechat is not a check-in service for people with health and safety needs. Visit our Telecross page for more information about our check-in phone service.

Who is the program for?

Telechat is for older people looking to build new connections via regular social phone calls. It’s ideal if you:

• live in rural or remote area, away from in-person visiting programs
• have health or other issues that make it safer to speak on the phone
• would prefer not to host people in your home
• enjoy the value of a good old-fashioned phone call.

To access Telechat, you’ll need to be registered for My Aged Care.

Why should you sign up?

Telechat is a reach-in service, rather than a reach-out service — care and support flow from our volunteers to you. Connection matters, no matter what form it takes, and building new relationships can bring joy and meaning to your life.

What’s more, Telechat relationships benefit our volunteers by giving them an opportunity to engage more fully with their local community.

Register for Telechat

Telechat operates across Australia.