Whilst many of us will sit down with family and friends to enjoy a Christmas meal together this December, it won’t be the case for everyone. With constant reminders of lost loved ones, and family gatherings of the past, Christmas can be an especially lonely and isolating time for older people, even more so than throughout the rest of the year.

At Re-engage, we have developed a service dedicated to ensuring that older people do not feel alone over the festive season.

Community Christmas call companions offers lonely and isolated older people, those aged 75 and over, the opportunity to join our dedicated telephone befriending service throughout December. Older people are matched with a trained volunteer call companion who has the skills to deal with the often more challenging conversations that can develop at this time of year, and as a result, help avert people falling into crisis.

The older person and volunteer will decide between them the regularity and length of calls. We anticipate that these will be for around half an hour once a week throughout December, but they may agree to more or fewer calls depending on their needs.

These weekly calls with a dedicated volunteer will connect older people to the outside world, bringing conversation and human contact back into their lives. Lack of transport, mobility, and the cost-of-living crisis, all combine to limit an older person’s ability to socialise which can be particularly felt at this time of year.

The service is free and available to anyone wherever they are in the UK, with no need to travel. This is particularly important for older people who struggle to leave their homes in the winter months, leaving them particularly vulnerable to loneliness and isolation. Thankfully, our service can bring them some joy, and a reminder that they are cared for, not forgotten.

To refer someone, please visit our website, https://www.reengage.org.uk/join-a-group/

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