If like us, you've seen this years Age UK advert then you'll know what a heart wrenching and eye opening campaign it is. Especially so when you look at the 2018 report by Age UK on loneliness in later life where they found that 'if we don't tackle loneliness by 2026, there will be 2 million people over 50 who will often feel lonely' Something which can have really serious impacts on well-being, mental wellness and quality of life.
This year, in recognition of how important it is to work within our local area in light of this information, we want to be a part of the solution. So we're focusing all of our efforts within the local community on being a proactive business that helps to support those struggling with loneliness. We're going to be playing an active role this year in Grantham, Lincolnshire to reach out to those who are struggling to make social connections and finding it hard over the Christmas period.
One of the services we offer that aims to make a positive impact on the quality of people's lives is our befriending service. This is a really simple thing that many of us can do but has such a huge impact. We know from talking with the people we normally support within our service already that companionship becomes a vital part of the support we provide, having a really positive impact and giving a feeling of being valued and offering much welcomed conversation by providing shared interests and company. For many of the people we provide support services to, befriending sessions are a part of the week they really look forward to.
This November and December, during a time where loneliness is particularly prevalent we are going to be expanding our services to further reach members of the community that would normally struggle because they don't have the same access to social connections as others, and may not know about services that are available to them by hosting a weekly Care Chair at Digby's café, in the Guildhall at Grantham. Every Friday from the 8th of November between 9am and 4pm, Helen will be available for people to approach and sit with, just for a friendly conversation and a chat. You don't need to book ahead, you can simply ask for Helen at the counter in Digby's and the lovely members of the team will direct you over to join her at the table just to be around a friend and a bit of company.
The purpose of this scheme to to ensure people aren't being left to sit alone in cafés if the person has come so that they can be around company but simply don't have anyone to sit with. We know some people enjoy having a quiet space in cafes, so we hope that by making people aware of the service, those who would like to have someone to chat to can access this in a way that allows us to be non-intrusive to anyone who may have chosen to be in the café for their own company.
We're joining onto lots of events over winter to look at new and creative ways that we can be more proactive at reaching out to people so no one needs to spend their winter weeks alone and without company or someone to talk to, so watch this space for more as they come up!
Do you know someone who would benefit from a friendly chat? Let them know about our Care Chair scheme, or you can refer them to us by emailing info@farrowfriends.co.uk and we'll discuss how we might be able to offer support directly to them in their home.
We also have lots of information on our website at www.farrowfriends.co.uk on the support we provide.
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