Phone Befriending Services for Older Australians

What phone befriending actually is

Phone befriending means a regular, friendly phone call to an older person who lives alone or feels isolated. In most programs the caller is a trained volunteer who is matched with one person and rings on an agreed day and time. The calls are social: a chat about the week, the footy, the garden, family news or whatever the person enjoys talking about.

Befriending is not care. Volunteers do not give medical advice, manage medication or act as an alarm service. What they give is company and a familiar voice, and for many older Australians that becomes the highlight of the week.

Where to find phone befriending in Australia

There is no single national list, so it helps to try a few places at once:

• My Aged Care (1800 200 422). Ask about social support and visitor programs. Some community visitor and social support services are arranged through an aged care assessment, so it is worth asking whether an assessment would help.
• Red Cross Telecross. A long-running Red Cross phone program for people living alone. Contact Red Cross to check eligibility and availability in your area.
• Friends for Good. A not-for-profit focused on loneliness, known for its FriendLine phone support. Check their website for current details.
• Your local council. Community services teams often know which local groups run phone or home visiting programs.
• Churches, seniors clubs and cultural associations. Many run informal phone trees, and some offer calls in languages other than English.

When you call, ask how often calls happen, how the caller is matched, whether the person can request a particular day and time, and whether there is a waiting list.

What to do while you wait

Volunteer programs depend on having enough volunteers, so a wait is common in some areas. A few things that help in the meantime:

1. Set up a family call roster so someone rings on each day of the week, even briefly.
2. Ask a neighbour or friend if they would be happy to call once a week.
3. Look at local social groups, Men's Sheds, libraries and Meals on Wheels, which also brings a friendly face to the door.
4. Consider a daily check-in call so there is a conversation every single day, not just on roster days.

How a daily check-in call compares

Kindly Call rings your parent on their existing landline or mobile at the same time each day. A friendly AI caller asks how they are going, chats about their day, and remembers what they talked about last time. After each call, family see a short summary in the dashboard. If a call is not answered, that is noted in the call summary so you know to ring yourself.

The honest answer is that they do different jobs. A volunteer friend is a real relationship and nothing replaces that. A daily call gives structure to every day and a quick way for family to see how things are going. Many families use a daily call and keep looking for a befriending volunteer at the same time.

Honest limits

Kindly Call is not an emergency service, not a medical alarm and does not monitor anyone. If your parent is at risk of falls or has a health condition, keep a personal alarm in place, and call 000 in an emergency. If you or your parent are struggling emotionally, Lifeline is available on 13 11 14.

A good way to introduce the idea is to tell your parent a day ahead that a friendly caller will ring at a set time, and to pick a time that fits their routine, such as after breakfast. Sit with them for the first call if you can. Most people settle into a daily call faster when they know when to expect it and who set it up.

Some people also prefer only human callers. That is fine. Try the free week, and if it does not suit, simply do not continue.