The Hertfordshire project fighting loneliness connecting old and young
Over 400 volunteers help to make a difference to Reach Out
Loneliness can be one of the most isolating conditions that gradually affects people as they age.
Now, as Loneliness Awareness Week is being marked, a Hertfordshire-based project is helping to connect people from across various generations.
Reach Out Hertfordshire helps older people coming out of hospital and provides them with a young volunteer to help them readjust to normal life.
Volunteers catch up once a week for a few hours, providing companionship and practical support for the client.
The initiative is run by Vicky Hudson from the Hertfordshire Centre for Voluntary Services and aims to tackle loneliness whilst integrating the local community.
Speaking to Greatest Hits Radio, Hudson explained that the service works with hospital discharge teams around the county to check up on patients.
"Quite a lot of the people that are referred to Reach Out are not able to get out and access things in the community," Hudson said.
"So they will get referred to us to have someone come in and and offer that support."
In total, 450 volunteers across Hertfordshire visit people who are coming out of hospital. Volunteers can be as young as 16 years old, and as old as 91.
However, volunteering is also proving to be beneficial for some of those giving their time.
"Sometimes people want to volunteer because actually they just want to give back. They might have had a bit of a hard time in their life and they want to be able to to help somebody else who's struggling.
"But sometimes we have volunteers who are experiencing loneliness themselves and they they understand it first hand. They see there's people out there also experiencing loneliness, but can't do anything about it."
It comes during Loneliness Awareness Week, and Ms Hudson said that connections still need to be made despite technological developments.
"There's less of a human connection nowadays, and I think for certainly for people in their teens and 20s, sometimes that's around the time when when they might start losing grandparents.
"Now to have that 1-on-1 conversation, have that experience of going into somebody's home and spending time with them. Because so many of our clients just say like that, we might be the only people they see that week and or the only people they see other than carers or doctors or nurses.
"So to actually have that person be just so, so happy to to see their volunteering for that volunteer to really feel that difference."
However, the volunteer force is constantly expanding and is looking for more hands on deck to reach as many isolated people as possible.
"If anyone can just spare an hour a week, that's all it takes. Sometimes some of our volunteers, even if you can't visit your client that week, if you can phone them, if you can send them a postcard while you're on holiday - it just it makes such a difference."
To get involved, you can contact Reach Out Hertfordshire on their website.