Helper FAQs

Don't push it! Nobody responds well to being forced to do something they don't want to do! If an older person tells you they're not interested in technology or that it has no relevance to them, tell them that's okay and that you're happy to stay and just chat for a little while if they're open to that. Ask them questions about themselves and see if you can find a way to work technology into the conversation. For instance, if they tell you their grandchildren live overseas, you might ask them if they've ever been interested in seeing photos of what their grandkids are up to. Or if they tell you they like art or music, you might ask for their favourite artists and look for them on Google, then show them the results you found online.

Go gently, and back off into broader conversation if you feel resistance from them. By doing this, you might open up a window of curiosity and spark a conversation around technology and how it might be relevant for the older person. If, however, they're still not interested, that's okay. Let them know that they can always call us if they do become curious to learn about something in particular, and ask if they're happy to wrap up the session. Generally, we won't charge the older person for the session under these circumstances, but you will still be paid for your time.

The first thing is not to be afraid to admit when you're not sure about something. Let the older person know that you're not actually familiar with this yourself, but that you're willing to work together with them to figure it out (if they're comfortable with that). You can then use techniques such as Googling the question and following online tutorials to find the answer and work through it together. This can actually be a wonderful learning opportunity in itself for the older person, observing how to find answers to technology questions online. 

If, however, the question is a very technical issue that needs a technical expert, you should not feel pressured to come up with a solution. Let the older person know that this is something they may need technical support with, and help them search for a local service that could help them out.

If a member indicates directly to you that they are dissatisfied with the help you have provided, you should apologise that you were not able to meet their needs and ask for feedback on how you could improve with other members in the future.

Assure them that you will be passing on their feedback to Lively, and then contact the Helper Coordinator to discuss. If necessary, we can offer to waive the cost of the session.

Dementia is an increasingly common condition among older community members, so it's possible that you may encounter an older person that has some level of dementia during your time with Lively. We highly recommend reviewing some of the mini courses available at Dementia Training Australia, which can give you a better understanding of dementia and how to respond to it. One online module that you can start with is here: https://www.dta.com.au/online-dementia-courses/community-care-and-dementia-understanding-the-condition/.

If you are happy continuing a conversation out of personal interest, feel free to do so! Be aware, though, that you are only paid for the scheduled appointment time.

As such, or if you really need to get going at the end of the session, we recommend apologising to the member and telling them you have another appointment or engagement that you need to get off to, but that you would love to continue the conversation next time or help them with their further questions in the next session.

You might encourage them to make note of some of the unanswered questions so that you can pick them up again with them next time. 

If you ever feel that you are in immediate danger, leave. Don't worry about being polite or about how we'll react. Your safety is our primary concern at all times, so we want you to do whatever is necessary to keep yourself safe. If you need a tactic to remove yourself from a situation, you could pretend to take a call about an 'emergency' that requires you to leave straight away, or you could ask to use the bathroom and call us or the police from there. Remember - if there is any sort of immediate threat you should call the police as your first phone call, followed directly by a call to us. 

If you don't feel unsafe but a client makes you feel uncomfortable in any way, please call us to discuss this. We can then make arrangements to bring the sessions with that client to a close. 

If you ever find that a client you are working with is rude or challenging to work with, get in contact with Lively HQ to discuss the situation. 

Check out our Member Mental Health Resources!

In general, you should be guided by the activities that are outlined in the member's agreed-upon plan. However, to a certain extent, it's up to you to use common sense and do what feels right to you in this situation. For example, if the older person asks you to help take their bin out as a one-off favour and you know you can do this easily and safely (and are comfortable helping them with this), then go for it.

If the client has asked you to drive them somewhere, however, you must have completed Lively's Transport Training and submitted documentation to verify your car is safe for transporting members. If in doubt, we suggest that you tell the client you'll need to seek approval from your managers before helping with other tasks, and give us a call to check. In general, you should always advise us when the client has requested help with other issues so that we can keep appropriate records.

Lively has a policy on gifts which you can check out on here: Gifts.

You should follow the steps for No response protocol.

Please tag this member as 'Inconsistent' on their matching request.

Then it's up to you whether or not you're happy to continue working with them on an ad hoc basis. If you wish to be unmatched, please reach out to the Matching team.

If you choose to continue working with the member, we recommend not adding this as a recurring session in your schedule. We also encourage you to let them know that your schedule may fill up with members who are booking recurring sessions.

If you need to take time away from work for your health, HQ will work to make sure your members continue to be taken care of in your absence. Please be assured that your time away will not disadvantage you for future work. However, you should try and make sure that you are communicating as openly as possible about your evolving needs for support at work.

When you return from your time back, the Helper Coordinator will develop a Return to Work plan with you to ensure you are able to restart work in a way that supports your recovery. Work can be an important part of maintaining a feeling of purpose and value in your healing process. For more information about returning to work, you may like to visit WorkSafe Victoria's website.

For more details about Helper wellbeing, check out our 'Helper Wellbeing' page.

Always cancel the session on your Lively app as a late cancellation and including a reason for the cancellation.

• Regardless of the reason for a late cancellation, it is Lively's policy to pay the Helper for the full session that was booked in.

• When charging the member or their funding partner for the session, Lively charges a cancellation fee to the partner which is a significantly reduced amount from what is usually charged. This reduced fee is designed to cover the cost of the session for Lively and ensure that the member is not penalised for occasions where they had no control over the reason for late cancellation (i.e. 'exceptional circumstances').

Let the member know that Lively will automatically charge a cancellation fee to the partner organisation who referred them and that:

a) this is Lively agreement with the partners, rather than the helpers responsibility

b) they can discuss with their case manager who can discuss with the Lively Matching Team if they feel like any charges should be adjusted.

For more detail, see the Cancellations guidance.

If you are available and not out of pocket, you are welcome to edit the event to change the time. However, if you are unavailable at the new time and have lost work, please record it as a late cancellation.

You must make every effort to make contact with a client if you need to reschedule an appointment. If you try to call and get no answer, leave a voice message and then try again after a short period. We ask that you try to call the client at least three times, and if still unsuccessful, contact us.

We love referrals! Lively runs intakes every 3–6 months for new Helpers. If a friend of yours wants to be kept up to date about future intakes, they can fill in an expression of interest form on our website at https://lively.org.au/careers.

Happily, a lot of Lively Helpers like this job, and aren't in a rush to move on from us! The good news is, if you age out of the 18–25 bracket, you're not going to be kicked out!

We're also working on developing more upskilling pathways within Lively so you have opportunities to take on more leadership or mentorship opportunities at work.