The Future

A number of approaches have been shown to be successful in supporting communities to develop their capacity and, thereby, their resilience to loneliness and social isolation. These start with the need to understand what is already available in the local community. Building on this knowledge, we intend to consider the following actions:

Community Navigator Scheme

This scheme will consist of a network of navigators, or connectors to create connection between service users and to also help identify gaps in services or ways services could be improved.  We will weave in a befriending service into the connectors scheme and set up a telephone befriending service in which staff and volunteers will make regular calls to those service users who do not wish to attend group activities.

Time Banks

We aim to establish Time Banks so that older people can not only benefit from volunteer provided services, but also make their own contribution, fostering a culture of reciprocity and giving people back a sense of purpose within the community.

Group Activities

Once we secure the funding we need, we will start organising group activities. This will have the benefit of avoiding the stigma surrounding loneliness and social isolation as the focus will be more on the activities.

These activities will then graduate into a day centre and service users will be encouraged to participate in a range of activities including arts and crafts, support groups, health and exercise groups etc.