Our Story
Born from community. Built on compassion.
VAMOS BEM grew out of a simple truth — when a neighbour is in crisis, people show up. We turned that instinct into something lasting.
In 2023, a handful of expats in Setúbal began to notice something. When fellow residents faced medical emergencies — people suddenly navigating an unfamiliar health system in a country they were still learning — the community responded. Meals arrived. Transport was arranged. Someone walked the dog. Someone sat at the bedside.
No organization made this happen. People simply showed up for each other.
What grew from those early acts of kindness became VAMOS BEM — a structured, volunteer-led community dedicated to helping expats and immigrants across Portugal prepare for, and navigate, the challenges that come with aging in a new country.
We created checklists. We hosted workshops. We built relationships with local health services. We developed tools — in plain English — so that no one would face a crisis without a plan. And what began in Setúbal quickly spread. Today, VAMOS BEM is active in Cascais and the Silver Coast, with more communities across Portugal joining all the time.
We are residents helping residents. We are retired nurses, former caregivers, community organisers, and people who have simply been through it themselves and want to spare others the same uncertainty. We are VAMOS BEM.
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate acts of its members.”
Joy Goldman
Chairwoman · Executive Leadership Coach · Nurse
“Before coming to Portugal, my husband and I cared for our moms in their final years. My mother died in August 2020 — during Covid’s first year — when so much was uncertain. As her primary carer, I witnessed her last days and her last breath. It was sacred, and it was exhausting.
That experience set me on a path of learning everything I could about the dying process — what a good death looks like, how to prepare for it, and how to spare the people we love from making impossible decisions on our behalf.”
Soon after arriving in Portugal, I met a woman who had moved here alone and was dying of cancer. I watched our community rally around her in her final three weeks. Total strangers sat at her bedside so she would not be alone. That was the moment I understood what was possible.
VAMOS BEM is that possibility, made real. I hope you’ll join us.”
Our Mission
“To support those living in Portugal to age and live well — with dignity, confidence, and peace of mind — by providing compassionate support, practical tools, and a community that shows up when it matters most.”
To be a model community of care — one that other communities across Portugal can adopt — where every resident can age with serenity, face the end of life with confidence, and know they will never face a crisis alone.
Our Values - Five values that guide everything we do.
Community
We are shaped by the people around us. As we age, face health challenges, and experience loss, VAMOS BEM ensures that no one feels alone — at any stage of life.
Compassion
We know that any one of us is a heartbeat away from needing help. We help each other prepare, and we show up with care — without judgement — when that moment comes.
Courage
We don’t shy away from difficult conversations. We talk openly about dying, about wishes, and about what a “good death” can look like — because those conversations are a gift to the people we love.
Respect
We honour your privacy, your choices, and your dignity. Every person’s journey is their own. We listen first, and we act only in the way you ask us to.
Action
We move quickly when it matters. We provide tools, resources, and people power to help you get things done — and we’re always here when you need us.
Our Teams
Together everyone achieves more.
VAMOS BEM is entirely volunteer-led. Four dedicated teams keep our community running — and there’s always room for one more
Helping Hands (Direct Support)
Our Helping Hands volunteers provide short-term, practical support directly to community members in need. Meals, transport, shopping, pet care, companionship — the everyday things that make a real difference during a health challenge.
Partnerships & Growth (Outreach Team)
Our Outreach team builds relationships with local health services, public institutions, and partner organisations across Portugal. They identify new resources and ensure VAMOS BEM stays connected to the people and services that matter.
Workshops & Events (Events & Programming)
This team plans and manages our calendar of workshops, webinars, and community events — across all three regions and online. From booking venues to coordinating speakers, they keep VAMOS BEM’s community alive and learning.
Website · Social · Newsletter (Communications)
Our Communications team looks after everything people see and read — the website, social media, newsletters, and printed materials. They set our messaging standards and make sure VAMOS BEM’s voice is consistent, warm, and clear.
Could you be part of a team?
You don’t need special qualifications — just a willingness to help. Whether you can give two hours a month or two days a week, there’s a place for you at VAMOS BEM.
Emergency Preparedness
The best time to prepare is before you need to.
A fall, a sudden illness, an ambulance at the door — these things happen. VAMOS BEM helps you make sure that when they do, the right people have the right information.
As we age, medical emergencies become a real possibility — not something to fear, but something to plan for. In a country where the health system operates in a different language, where your family may be far away, and where emergency services may not know your history, preparation becomes even more important.
VAMOS BEM offers three essential tools that every expat and immigrant in Portugal should have in place. They’re free, they’re straightforward, and they could make all the difference in a crisis.
01 — Your Emergency Checklist
A simple, structured document — kept at home and on your phone — that tells emergency responders exactly what they need to know about you: your medical history, current medications, allergies, blood type, and who to call. When you can’t speak for yourself, this document speaks for you. Link: → Get your emergency checklist
02 — Your Advance Directive
Portugal’s official advance directive — known as the Testamento Vital — is a four-page form filed with the national health system (SNS). It records your wishes for medical care if you ever become unable to communicate them yourself. We provide the form in both Portuguese and English, and our workshops walk you through it step by step. Link: → Learn about the advance directive
03 — Workshops & guidance
Not sure where to start? Our workshops — in person and online — walk you through both documents in plain English. Our volunteers are here to answer your questions and help you get everything in order at your own pace. Here are some of our past workshops:
Creating your Emergency Checklist
Completing your Advance Directive (Testamento Vital)
Understanding Portuguese wills and succession law
Your Emergency Plan — QR codes and digital tools
Navigating the SNS (Portuguese health system)
Organising non-medical support: Meal Train & CaringBridge
End-of-life planning and having the conversation
Safe lifting and fall assistance for carers
04 — Support Services
When someone needs help, we show up. A medical crisis affects far more than the person in hospital. VAMOS BEM helps coordinate the practical support that makes recovery possible — for patients, families, and carers alike.
When a friend or neighbour is hospitalised or recovering at home, the need for practical support can be overwhelming — and organising it, even more so. Who will cook? Who will walk the dog? How does family know what’s happening? How do you coordinate thirty people who all want to help but don’t know how?
Our volunteer Helping Hands team can step in directly. But we also know that accepting help from strangers can feel uncomfortable, especially in a vulnerable moment. That’s why we also share the tools and processes we use, so that families, friends, and communities can organise their own support networks confidently.
Either way, no one should face a health crisis without a support structure around them. That’s what VAMOS BEM is here to help build.
How we organise support — the ACT process
Whether our volunteers are helping directly, or we’re guiding a family to coordinate their own support network, we use the same three-step process. You can use it too.
A - Assess
We start by listening. We learn about the situation, the person’s needs, their support network, and any specific preferences or sensitivities. Everything is treated with complete confidentiality and respect.
C - Coordinate
Using trusted tools like Meal Train® and CaringBridge™, we work with the patient, family, and friends to schedule meals, transport, pet care, shopping, and any other specific needs — so the person recovering can focus entirely on getting better. Tools: Meal Train® · CaringBridge™
T - Track
Needs change during recovery. We check in regularly to make sure support is still the right kind, in the right amount, from the right people. Nothing is left to chance — and nothing falls through the cracks.