Volunteers
wellbeing and mental health of care recipients, perhaps those with fewer visitors or family members to call, for example. There are also practical services that
volunteers can support with, including grocery and essential shopping delivery for individuals, and collection and delivery of prescriptions and medical equipment.
Social isolation
According to AgeUK, in the UK 1.4 million people are lonely often. Older people are especially vulnerable to loneliness and social isolation – and it can have a serious effect on health. Health conditions, mobility issues, and mental health can reduce care residents’ ability to participate in activities and can inhibit their ability to maintain or establish meaningful relationships. Also, some residents may not have many – if any – family or friends nearby who can visit or who they can call.
To support care residents who may be at risk of experiencing loneliness or isolation, volunteers across the country are offering Check In and Chat calls, providing a listening ear and friendly conversation. The calls are completely free for residents to receive and can be tailored to their needs, whether it be a one-off call or a series of calls. Requests can be made for Check In and Chat, where the resident will receive a friendly and encouraging call, from a different volunteer each time for up to six weeks. For residents with greater support needs, requests can be made for Check In and Chat Plus, where the same volunteer will phone the resident three times a week, over a six-week period at an agreed mutually convenient time. Keeping in touch and chatting
Community Response Volunteer on the move
with others can have a huge impact – conversations can create connections, offer new perspectives, teach you new things, boost happiness, and increase mental wellbeing. The service complements the support residents receive from care colleagues, offering residents the opportunity to engage with people outside of their homes, and in the case of Check In and Chat Plus, make new connections.
Volunteer responders NHS and Care Volunteer Responders is helping to support care homes in ensuring residents have access to medications and medical equipment with the programme’s Community Response and Pick up and Deliver services. Through the straightforward GoodSAM website, care home staff can arrange for these items to be collected and delivered by friendly, local volunteers. Delayed or interrupted
treatment can cause illness or delay in recovery. The support of volunteers means these items are delivered in a timely manner, without care home staff needing to collect the prescription themselves, allowing them to focus on residents’ needs. Since the expansion of the NHS and Care
Volunteer Responders, care professionals have been utilising the programme to support care recipients, adding value and boosting people’s experiences of care. Caroline Callaghan, who is currently utilising Volunteer Responders services in her role at Hartlepool Borough Council, said: “Check in and Chat is so beneficial because even a quick phone conversation can be a real boost, knowing that there is a person on the other end of the phone who wants to talk and listen to you, is brilliant for a person’s wellbeing.
“It’s so quick and easy to make a
Volunteer Responders referral, I regularly remind our team that the programme is there for us to refer in to, and to support the people we’re working with. I have also recommended Volunteer Responders to colleagues in adult social care teams, as we all work with a common aim, and the programme is one tool we can use to help achieve that. “I know that Community Response and Pick Up and Deliver services will also make a big difference to the lives of people we work with.”
Community Response Volunteer February 2024
www.thecarehomeenvironment.com
Similarly, Samantha Aylott, specialist advisor for adult social care at Essex County Council, regularly uses the Volunteer Responder programme to organise volunteer Check in and Chat calls for people as part of their social care package. She said: “It’s immensely helpful to be
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