Volunteers from Scottish and Southern Energy Power Distribution (SSEPD) are teaming up with Age UK to provide ‘friendship calls’ to older people in an effort to tackle loneliness.
Recent statistics from Age UK show that a quarter of people aged 65 and over (2.9 million) feel they have no one to go to for help and support. Of these, two fifths said they felt lonely and a fifth said they felt forgotten as a result of this.
Now 20 employees from SSEPD’s Emergency Service Centres in Portsmouth and Perth are hoping to make a difference to the lives of those in most need of companionship by taking part in the ‘Call in Time’ initiative, run by Age UK. Staff will devote half-an-hour out of each working week cultivating a telephone friendship with an older person to alleviate their isolation and loneliness. The phone-call allows older people to chat about anything from grandchildren and hobbies to day-to-day life in a safe and comfortable environment.
Lorraine Barber, one of the volunteers taking part, explained why she decided to get involved: “All of my grandparents passed away many years ago and I’d hate to think that they ever felt lonely and had nobody to talk to. I find it heart-breaking that there are so many older people who do feel lonely and isolated. I always enjoy taking the time to chat to our older customers; they’ve always had interesting and unique lives with so many great stories to share. I think the ‘Call in Time’ project is a fantastic opportunity for me to make a huge difference to somebody’s life. I’ll be there to laugh, listen and be a sympathetic ear for anything going on in their lives that they want to talk about.”
Laurie Boult, Head of Fundraising at Age UK said: “At Age UK we know how devastating loneliness can be for older people so we are delighted that SSEPD has joined our team of ‘Call in Time’ volunteers. A regular friendly phone call through ‘Call in Time’ can really make a difference, helping to lessen feelings of loneliness and providing a real lifeline for isolated older people - we’re hugely grateful for their support.”
The programme will begin with the SSEPD volunteers receiving training from Age UK before being matched to somebody in need of a friendly ear.
As well as taking part in the ‘Call in Time’ programme, SSEPD has made a donation of £200,000 to Age UK to support their work in tackling issues affecting people in later life. This ongoing relationship with the charity is just one of the ways that SSEPD is working to help some of its most vulnerable customers. It also has a Priority Services Register which allows eligible customers to receive extra help during a power cut.
More information on this service is available at www.ssepd.co.uk/PriorityServices