An inspiring model of intergenerational care and connection.
“Working at Lively was more than a job. It was a chance to build real connections, support older people with dignity, and grow both personally and professionally. I learned so much about communication, empathy and the value of meaningful support.”
– Nate, Lively Helper
What’s the idea?
It’s 10pm, and a 19-year-old in Melbourne has just sent off their twenty-second unanswered application for a retail or hospitality job. They refresh their job board. And this time, something different appears.
Lively is recruiting young people aged 18-25 – with or without prior experience or qualifications – to provide practical and social support for older people in their local area. Things like help in the garden, support with technology, shopping, walks, light cleaning, or simply getting out to a café or movie. Things that can become harder to do alone, but easier with company.
It pays above award wages. The work can flex around study or other commitments. And Lively is explicit about one important thing: this isn’t just a paid job. It’s a chance to form meaningful relationships, make a genuine difference in people’s lives, and be supported with care into the world of work yourself.
This is the offer that drew hundreds of young people to support thousands of older community members through Lively; a Melbourne-based social enterprise with a vision of a world where all young and older people feel valued, connected and supported.
Through Lively, young people received training, encouragement and guidance to provide entry-level care, and were matched with older ‘Members’ who they worked with over time – building valued relationships, and learning from their life stories and experience along the way. In turn, older people were able to maintain independence at home, stay connected to the activities and pursuits that mattered to them, and experience a renewed sense of value and purpose through sharing knowledge and skills back with the young.
Everyone has a story in life – to relate “bits and pieces” of my story to a young person helps her to understand an older person and helps make me still feel relevant in a fast-paced modern world… Working with a young “lively”, smart person helps me to find more joy in life.
– Lively Member
In addition to the benefits for young and older participants, the model also addressed a growing challenge in aged care; workforce shortages, and the difficulty of attracting younger people into the sector. Lively opened a pathway for a new generation of carers who may never otherwise have considered the work.
Sadly, after ten years of impact, Lively closed its doors. Inadequate uptake from aged care partners made it impossible to sustain the model, with established providers finding it difficult to integrate Lively’s focus on sustained individual relationships (rather than optimised care rosters) into their existing structures.
But although the program came to an end, the possibilities it proved live on – and the ideas continue to be available to those who’d like to reignite the embers.
Having Kay here is like having a friend visit. There is no separation as the knowledge is shared both ways. Kay tells me how things are in Hong Kong I tell her how the plants do what they do etc. We go out for coffee or we stay in. We share stories as we work and things get done before we even realise it’s time for her to go home.
– Lively Member
What does it help us imagine?
Lively’s model helps us imagine a more communal, participatory future of care. One where the ‘load’ can be shared not just by professional and family carers, but by others in the community who can contribute meaningful pieces.
Lively Helpers couldn’t give people a shower. They couldn’t administer medication, or cook a week’s worth of meals. But they could do some of the small jobs that, over time, compound into bigger issues, and make it less viable for older people to remain in their own home. They could spend the time helping someone pursue a new hobby – the sort of activity that we know improves mental and emotional wellbeing, and flows through to physical health. They could spend the time simply listening to someone – hearing their stories, and being a patient, caring companion.
These contributions aren’t marginal. They are integral to ‘whole person’ care – something our care systems aspire to, but rarely realise in the context of tightly packed rosters and efficiency pressures.
It also shows us how older people can be positioned not as dependent recipients of care, but as vital, valuable members of reciprocal intergenerational relationships – with important experiences and skills to share back with the young. By reframing the care relationship in this way, Lively shows us how valuable roles for older people can be subtly woven back into the fabric of everyday life.
Finally, it highlights that contrary to popular narrative, many young people are interested in connecting with older people, and in doing meaningful work – they just need an attractive invitation to do so. When we invest in creating vibrant, welcoming and supportive environments, and when we care about young people’s growth and development, care can be transformed into an aspirational employment opportunity – with the potential to be as mainstream an employment option as retail and hospitality are for young people today. Imagine how far that could move us towards an Australia where generations are deeply connected and mutually supportive!
What can you do with this?
Although Lively’s program has come to a close, there are many ways to bring intergenerational care into your life or workplace.
Build on Lively’s learning.
Do you work for an aged care provider, local council or youth service provider? You can bring this model to life in your context. To help you do it, Lively’s team took the time to capture and open source their model – hoping that the work and its impact would continue to spread.
Head to www.lively.org.au, where you’ll find detailed information on:
- How the model worked in practice
- What worked well, and what the team were still learning
- Downloadable toolkits and how-to guides
If you need support or advice to put the model into practice in your own way, reach out to Good Flock – we’d love to support you.
Become an intergenerational carer yourself.
You don’t need to run an intergenerational care program to follow Lively’s lead. If you’re a young person looking for employment, there are many ways to get involved in care as an alternative to retail or hospitality.
- Youngster.co is a social enterprise, inspired by Lively’s model, that employs young people to help older community members with technology. Keep an eye out for job openings!
- Platforms like Mable and HireUp make it possible for you to register as a support worker, wherever you are, and connect with people who could use your support. Bring Lively’s philosophy with you, and be curious about the people you support – looking for what you can learn from them, and exploring how you can help them stay connected to the things that bring them joy.
- Aged care providers around Australia are desperate for enthusiastic young people to join their teams as support workers. Include ‘support work’ or ‘aged care’ in your job searches, and you’re sure to encounter many opportunities to provide community-based or residential care. In many cases, training may be required – but if you’re looking for work in a growing industry with low risk of automation or AI impact, aged care is a sector worth serious thought.
