Could you spare an hour or two each week to offer companionship to an older person living in a local care home?

Care Home Volunteers is looking for people to join our team of volunteers in West Wiltshire, to bring joy and companionship to older people living in care homes. This helps these residents to keep in touch with the outside world, gives them an opportunity to remember the good times and improves their well-being and quality of life.

Volunteer Befrienders establish positive relationships with one or more residents who live in a care home. Our volunteers befriend, mainly on a one-to-one basis, those residents who find it difficult to participate in the care home’s organised activities or those who are isolated, lonely or find social contact challenging. Some volunteers have contact with the same resident(s) each week; others are led by the staff as to who might enjoy a chat.

Befriending may include visiting in person, making telephone / video calls, writing to individual residents or sending cards / letters to care homes. Befriending activities might include:

Enjoying simple everyday conversation

Giving people the opportunity to reminisce about their lives and experiences

Reading newspapers, books or poetry

Playing games or do puzzles

Using technology to access music, reminiscence resources, etc.

Supporting and share residents’ specific interests, hobbies or culture.

Volunteers will not be expected to take part in any tasks involving personal care or assisting residents with their mobility.

Visits to care homes are resuming on a gradual basis, all visits are risk assessed to provide the safest possible environment for the residents, care home staff and volunteers. If you prefer not to visit yet there are ample opportunities to speak by phone, video calls and writing letters.

You can find a short video about our work here – http://www.carehomevolunteers.org.uk/.