How Independent Age is tackling loneliness with information and wellbeing sessions
As part of our BBC Lifeline Appeal, we spoke to Fiona about her experiences taking part in a new Independent Age pilot scheme focusing on improving skills and developing hobbies.
“I can often go three to six weeks without seeing anyone which gets very lonely,” explains Fiona. The 72-year-old from Doncaster is like many older people Independent Age supports who experience isolation and feelings of loneliness.
As a result of distance and health issues, Fiona and her family sadly struggle to see each other as much as they would like, but, in her own words, “that’s where Independent Age comes in”.
Over summer, Fiona joined others in taking part in a pilot project run by the charity’s Digital and Phone Services team. The Good to Know series saw partnerships with organisations including Mind and The Sleep Charity to help offer information and advice to older people over the phone.
Regular phone calls with people in similar situations to herself have provided Fiona with purpose: “These calls really break up the week,” she tells us. “It’s lovely to hear what everyone has been up to, and the different exercises really help my mental health.”
Ranging in topic from getting online and looking at financial support, to sleep hygiene and mental health, the project has given participants the opportunity to enhance their wellbeing and try new things.
“The weekly calls are just like having a group of friends round to your house,” she says.
Kept deliberately small so that each caller has time to speak, the groups exchange ideas and stories while reassuring each other about difficult subjects: “When you’re on your own, small things can escalate and you feel like you’re the only one struggling but sharing it with other people makes you feel less alone,” Fiona explains.
“When I’m depressed, everything seems hopeless and grey,” she says. Dealing with her health conditions and struggling with household problems has caused Fiona to feel “isolated and desperate”. But through attending the Good to Know series, she has found support: “The calls can really perk you up and they give you a sense of perspective.”
Introducing the Creative Writing taster session, Digital and Phone Services Group Manager Emily Groves encouraged the group to “be fearless and enjoy the playfulness of writing”. A published poet herself, Emily believes that “everyone has something to say”.
“The weekly calls are just like having a group of friends round to your house”
By the end of the session, the group had produced their very own poems while the likes of Fiona were inspired to dedicate regular time each week to the hobby.
Following the success of the pilot, we’re pleased to say that the Good to Know series will continue next year and will be rolled out in some of our local groups as well.
For Fiona, the sessions have been incredibly rewarding: “They’ve helped me in so many ways — forming friendships, giving me financial advice and helping me access support I had no idea existed.”
“Hearing about Independent Age was like opening a lock,” she says. “Suddenly there was someone I could call and say, ‘I’ve got a problem, how do I solve this?’.”
Fiona shared her story with us as part of our BBC Lifeline Appeal which you can learn more about here.
Read Fiona’s poem from the Creative Writing taster session:
If you’d like to take part in a project such as the Good to Know series, you can find out more here, call our Helpline for free on 0800 319 6789 or email our team at telephone.services@independentage.org.
