Do you have any residents with symptoms of depression, anxiety or loneliness? We are recruiting older people living in residential aged care for a trial of ‘befriending’ – regular conversation with a new friend to talk about topics of mutual interest. 
 
In the trial, we provide a trained volunteer who meets the resident weekly face to face, or by phone or video call, depending on local visitor restrictions. Researchers assess the resident’s symptoms throughout to see whether there is any improvement.  The trial is free, funded by Beyond Blue and the National Health and Medical Research Council. We follow all local COVID19 safety guidelines.

If you would like your residents offered this opportunity, or would like to know more, please contact Professor Colleen Doyle: [email protected]

More information on the BEFRIENDAS program: BEFRIENDAS