What Is Befriending About?

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Loneliness can affect anyone, at any time, but it is especially found in the two million people aged over 75 within the UK who live alone.

Certain groups are especially vulnerable to loneliness or social isolation, for example, the elderly. They may go for long periods of time without any interactions, which can have a profound negative effect on their health and wellbeing.

Befriending

Befriending is a planned social interaction that has positive outcomes and promotes meaningful connections. This, in turn, reduces feelings of loneliness and isolation. With better social connections, better emotional and physical health is achieved.

Befriending is usually provided by a trained volunteer or a paid employee. It can be delivered face-to-face or via a letter or telephone call, in either a one-to-one or group setting. It is usually supported by an organisation that can oversee the befriending service and ensure that boundaries are maintained. The organisation responsible will help to forge connections as well as ensure that there is a planned and appropriate ending or parting of ways.

People will be matched together to either share similar or different life experiences, resulting in a meaningful connection that allows service users to feel nurtured and enriched.

Call Buttons

Living alone or with vulnerabilities such as old age or illness can be worrying. As well as loneliness, those who are vulnerable may be more prone to slips, trips, falls or other accidents.

Wireless WiFi call buttons such as those from dinggly.com/products/wireless-call-buttons/ could be the perfect solution to provide peace of mind to those who are vulnerable or living alone.

Call buttons allow users to make contact with a designated mobile phone, pager or other device at the touch of a button. Call buttons are rechargeable and come with a convenient LED indicator to confirm contact has been made. WiFi options are fully functional wherever there is a stable WiFi connection; alternatively, there are wireless models available. Multi-user devices that send a message to more than one designated contact are also available, as well as call buttons that are completely waterproof.