Boggabri volunteer’s contribution to community celebrated

Noreen Boehm was nominated by Boggabri MPS for the NSW Centre for Volunteering Senior Volunteer of the Year 2023 and attended the awards presentation in Armidale on Thursday, September 7, 2023.

In part, her nomination read: Noreen Boehm has been volunteering with Boggabri MPS since 2015 offering her time, support and skills to the staff and residents.

Noreen does one-to-one visits with residents who prefer not to attend group activities, especially the male residents whom Noreen has a great rapport and history of friendship.

Noreen knows many of the Boggabri community members from a long association with the elderly population and reminiscing with the residents is easy for her.

Noreen also attends group activities assisting the diversional therapist in varied activities.

Examples of this is doing PowerPoint presentations, armchair travels, exercises, craft activity, knit and natter group which is a knitting and craft group.

Noreen has a ready smile, and a happy disposition and can usually have even the grumpiest resident laughing and talking.

Boggabri MPS is a small rural community with a multi-purpose centre catering for 16 residential beds, four acute and two emergency beds.

Using her skills as a photographer and as a journalist she brings current community news in each week.

Families have said that they know when Noreen has visited as their loved one is bright, happy and talkative.

These one-on-one visits give the residents a regular visitor and adds value to their day by keeping the residents mentally stimulated, provides a sense of purpose and helps combat depression.

Staff have said, the residents are always happy to see Noreen and excited to hear what she has been doing.

A Narrabri craft group representative who visited recently said: “you could see the resident’s eyes light up when Noreen entered the room, they were so happy to see her, and then they just started talking and talking.”

“Noreen relates to both staff and residents with her cheery disposition,” Diversional therapist Donna Hammond said.

Noreen holds a Lifestyle and Leisure Diploma and has completed a Dementia course through Tasmania University which enables her to understand and relate to many of the residents that staff don’t have the time to spend with during their busy shifts.

In addition to the standard resident profiles, the NSW Department of Health require, Noreen has worked with and built a personal profile of residents which tells their story from a young age through to the current situation.

Noreen has spent many hours sitting and talking with the residents and then putting these stories together.

These stories are available for the resident to share with family and friends or keep as their personal story.

Noreen also relates well to the resident’s family members.

Some families have said: “Noreen knows more about our Mum/Dad than we do,” and on a few occasions the personal stories have contributed heavily to the eulogy when the resident passes.

Award winners for the New England and Northern Inland Volunteer of the Year awards ceremony were, Youth Volunteer of the Year – Wylie Wright, The Armidale School, Adult Volunteer of the Year – Juliet Kaberry, Women’s Shelter Armidale, Senior Volunteer of the Year – Cecily Wicks, Cancer Council NSW, Volunteer Team of the Year – Armidale Sanctuary Volunteer Co-ordination.

Noreen was presented with her certificate by Armidale Regional Council mayor Sam Coupland.