Befriending
- Location: Age UK Coventry and Warwickshire
- Price: Free
Please note, this service is not available outside Age UK Coventry & Warwickshire - Head Office's catchment area.
Email: info@ageukcovwarks.org.uk
Telephone: 02476231999
Our free Befriending Service is for over 70s to enhance the quality of life to alleviate loneliness and isolation
Who is the service for?
Our Befriending Service offers regular, friendly contact from a volunteer befriender who provides companionship and conversation. Whether you are looking for a general chat, want to hear about someone else's day or just want a listening ear, our befrienders can be there for you.
We are pleased to announce we are expanding our service to people aged 50 and over living in the catchment area of Coventry & Warwickshire. This means we can reach more individuals who may be affected by life changes such as early retirement, bereavement, or moving to a new area.
This service is free of charge.
What does the service provide?
Our befriending service offers friendly, regular companionship and support. Whether you are looking to build confidence, reconnect with your community, or simply enjoy regular chats, we will shape the befriending support around your goal. A befriending volunteer will spend time getting to know you, listen to how you are feeling, and offer encouragement. You will have someone to talk with, whether that’s over a cup of tea, during a phone call or within your own home, it could also be while doing an activity you enjoy, like a game of Scrabble, watching a film, or sharing a hobby.
The support they offer is tailored to you. For some people, this is a structured relationship that lasts around six months, during which your volunteer will help you work towards personal goals, such as gaining confidence, feeling less isolated, or reconnecting with a local group or activity.
In other cases, the relationship may naturally develop into a longer-term friendship. If this happens, your volunteer may continue to offer regular friendly contact, depending on what feels right for you.
After six months, we will review how things are going and talk with you about your progress and any support you might need moving forward.
Are there any circumstances when the Befriending Service is not suitable?
Our aim is to assess every referral individually for suitability. We regret that in some circumstances a person's needs may exceed the support available from our service. For example, people with memory loss, dementia or mental health issues may need a higher level of support. In these cases, we will endeavour to provide information on other suitable support.
Who are our befrienders?
Our befrienders are volunteers who come from all walks of life and are carefully selected and screened including a full Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. We aim to match our volunteers with older people who have similar interests and outlook. If you are interested in becoming a befriending volunteer, click the link below.
https://www.ageuk.org.uk/coventryandwarwickshire/get-involved/volunteer/befriending-volunteer/
Befriending Story
To read about one of our client and volunteers' Telephone Befriending stories, click the link below.
Get in Touch
If you, or someone you know, could benefit from our befriending service, please get in touch.
Email: info@ageukcovwarks.org.uk
Telephone: 02476231999