Older Persons' Befriending Services

Volunteer Glasgow has been providing support to older people through Elderly Home Visiting and Day Care Services since 1985. That support comes in the form of a Home Visiting Service and weekly Lunch Clubs. Home Visiting is a befriending service for isolated and vulnerable people that involves a support worker, an older person and a volunteer. Volunteers regularly visit the home or take their match out for a fun shared activity. These shared experiences reduce isolation, build confidence and resilience and increases an older person's activity and engagement. Our Lunch Clubs run on Tuesdays and Thursdays for older people living in Drumchapel and parts of Knightswood. The Lunch Club is about more than simply a hot meal. Members meet, share a meal and a chat with friends, enjoy activities and days out and have access to information. Volunteers are always on hand to provide support: whether that’s escorting, catering or organising a fun activity. The older people referred to Volunteer Glasgow may be isolated because of health, disability, bereavement or simply living alone. Their families may live some distance away or may be out at work throughout the week. Physical frailty, whether temporary or not, may mean that the person can no longer go out alone to see friends or access the things they enjoy. A loss of confidence may prevent them from going out and staying in may mean that solitude is not a choice. Research shows that loneliness has a direct relationship to health problems, both physical and mental and the provision of a relationship based on trust, respect, shared activities and fun can alleviate the loneliness which some older people experience.