The Alzheimer’s Society’s befriending service in Bath and North East Somerset is looking for volunteers to pair up with people affected by dementia in a bid to combat loneliness and isolation.
21-year-old Ross with 78-year-old Barry
Alzheimer’s Society research shows people with dementia are more at risk of loneliness than the general population – with a third of people reporting to have lost friends since their diagnosis.
Two thirds of people with dementia remain in their communities, but many feel trapped in their own homes – with almost one in 10 only leaving the house once a month.
The befriending service has proved so popular with people living with dementia, that the charity is urgently calling on more volunteers to be paired up.
Current befriending volunteers have reported that they have gained and shared skills, developed new friendships and even enhanced their CV as a result of participating in the service.
21-year-old Ross Holton is studying for a BSc in Economics at the University of Bath. It was when he was a student that he applied to become a befriender.
Having gone through the Alzheimer’s Society’s matching process, and completing the necessary training, Ross began visiting Barry in January this year. 78-year-old Barry lives with his wife in the centre of Bath and was diagnosed with dementia a few years ago.
Ross said: “I wanted some challenging but rewarding volunteering that used and developed my interpersonal skills whilst improving someone’s quality of life. The plan was for me to visit Barry once a week for a few hours possibly to go to the sports centre or have a coffee, play snooker and have a chat.
“Both Barry and I felt the generational age gap made no difference at all. In fact because Barry would often remember things from his youth I think he benefitted from having a younger befriender.”
Speaking about the befriending service and the support he received from Ross, Barry said: “I wanted to make the experience worthwhile for Ross. As a few years his senior I wanted to think of ways I could use my life experience to help Ross on his life path.”
Ross continued: “I got career and life advice from Barry which was really valuable and although there were repetitions, it didn’t matter as this reinforced much of the advice he was imparting.
“We did play snooker and always had a coffee together but the most important part was the conversation – we’d always look for mutual points of interest.
“As a student my weekly befriending sessions were a nice break from my studies. It was like meeting a friend for a drink. I have the utmost respect for Barry and he taught me a lot.”
Alzheimer’s Society Befriending Manager, Lindsey Dowdell, from BaNES said: “Ross and Barry’s story goes to show how much can be gained from befriending. Loneliness is a real problem for people with dementia, yet we know that one of the most important things for those affected is to remain part of their community and continue to do the things they enjoy – from going shopping to enjoying a local football match.
“We’re always looking for people with different skills and there is always someone we can match them with.
“A lot of the gentlemen on our waiting list at the moment have an interest in sport so we’re particularly keen to hear from anyone with sporting interests, from football fans to snooker players.”
Anyone interested in becoming a befriending volunteer or would like to access the service should contact Lindsey either by emailing [email protected] or by phoning 01225 396678.
