Our clients are based in Victoria and are receiving end-of-life/palliative care, who wish to visit a place of personal significance to them in Victoria. Our clients receive comfort care while on their journey.

We ask that volunteers make themselves available for a client journey at least every 1-2 months. As our program grows there may be opportunities to volunteer more often in the volunteer is able to.

Yes, our volunteers are required to drive our Memory Lane vehicle.

The Memory Lane vehicle is a VW Crafter van, it is similar size to a small campervan

Our vehicles are based at our Bendigo and Metro Melbourne (Mitcham) branches.

A client journey can occur any day of the week, so this role is currently an on-call role. Our volunteers will be communicated with by the Memory Lane team regarding the planned journey to check their availability.

Our client’s journey’s are as diverse as our clients. Some client’s may want to be driven 10 minutes down the road to visit their beloved garden, others might want to be driven 1-2 hours to get to their desired destination. Some of our clients are not based near the branches where our vehicles are kept so a volunteer day might start early and end quite late. On average our volunteers need to be available for 8 hours on their volunteer shift

Depending on where the client is based and which branch our volunteers are closest to depends on which vehicle is used. For example, if a client wants to go from their palliative care bed at Monash Health to visit their garden in Hawthorn our volunteers would meet at the Mitcham branch to collect the vehicle and then drive together to pick up the client to start their journey. All shifts finish back at the branch where the vehicle was collected from.

Our volunteers will be supplied with a branded polo shirt, vest and a name badge. We ask our volunteers to wear navy blue pants.

Our volunteers help a client to visit a place of personal significance to that client. Volunteers achieve this by:

• Safely transferring the client to and from their bed/wheelchair/chair at either a health care facility or their home to the Memory Lane stretcher.
• Safely transporting the client and their carer/loved ones in the Memory Lane vehicle to and from the requested destination.
• Safely transferring the client from the vehicle to the venue at the destination and set up the client to enjoy the experience with their carer/loved ones.
• Assisting the client to enjoy their requested destination i.e. ensure they are comfortable, move around the venue, take photographs on their devices if requested.

• Maintaining the Memory Vehicle including refuelling, cleaning after a client journey and occasionally assisting with stock replenishment in the branch storeroom.

Our volunteers may also be asked to participate in activities that assist to promote Flying Doctor Memory Lane. Examples are to visit local health services and drop off brochures or to drive the van to a community event, talk about the service and hand out brochures.

Our volunteers will complete both face to face and online training as part of their induction. This training will include vehicle familarisation, use of electronic stretcher, CPR and driving safely.

Our external volunteers will complete a minimum amount of ‘ride alongs’ with experienced volunteers as part of their induction.

• Clear information about the client’s journey including information about the client’s condition and accessibility of the requested destination
• All materials and equipment, including personal protective equipment as required.
• Volunteer personal accident insurance
• Use of purpose-built and fully insured vehicle for volunteering
• Access to our Employee Assistance Program

Expressions of interest are open for people who are currently working as a:

• Patient Transport Officer/Ambulance Transport Attendant
• Paramedic with current AHPRA registration
• Medical Practitioner with current AHPRA registration
• Enrolled Nurse with current AHPRA registration
• Registered Nurse with current AHPRA registration

Volunteers require a full Victorian Drivers Licence and volunteers must have:

• No more than 6 demerit points in the last three years
• No more than 3 of the same offence in the last five years
• No cancellation or suspension of license in the last three years.
• No more than 6 offences in the last 10 years.

Our volunteers engage in physical duties as part of a clients journey including transferring the client to and from the Memory Lane stretcher and moving the client around their destination in either the stretcher or a wheelchair.

Our volunteers are required to be able to perform CPR and use an AED in the event a member of the community requires assistance but this is not to be used on our clients.