Sheffield charity’s urgent appeal to help older people desperate for telephone chat

A growing list of isolated older people desperate for a chat on the phone has prompted a leading Sheffield charity to launch an urgent volunteer appeal.
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Sheffield Churches Council for Community Care (SCCCC) has a waiting list of almost 100 older people waiting for telephone support, but needs more volunteers to spare up to an hour a week to give them the friendship and belonging they crave.

The charity says the city’s loneliness epidemic will only get worse as long, cold weeks of lockdown lie ahead for thousands of over 65s – many of whom have no friends or family they can call upon for support.

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Tammy Wilson, Good Neighbour Scheme Team Leader, said: “The good news is that word is getting out about the support we can offer the thousands of people across the city for whom television is sadly their only friend.

The staff and volunteers at SCCCC are extremely passionate about what they do. Our passion comes from a real desire to help older people. We take the time to listen, to understand what’s needed and to provide appropriate solutions every day.

Unfortunately, this means that we desperately need more people to come forward to support our work – with a regular weekly or fortnightly telephone call often all that our service users are looking for.”

She added: “The urgency is even greater now that a fresh lockdown has been imposed, with older people cut off once more from the outside world.

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"Even just giving an hour of your time up to once a week could make a massive difference to the life of an older person in your community. The staff and volunteers at SCCCC are extremely passionate about what they do.”

SCCCC is casting its net wide in a bid to attract new volunteers to support its loneliness busting work – with anyone in South Yorkshire eligible to help out.

Most of its referrals come from health care professionals- though occasionally family members or the older people themselves will request support.

The charity hopes that telephone calls may become friendly visits in the future, once the current Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.

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A full induction and DBS checks will be carried out to ensure all volunteers are suitable to support SCCCC's older service users.

To find out more or to volunteer, contact Sharon Saunders, at [email protected] or phone 0114 2505292.

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a digital subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.

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