Intermediate Care Befriending

Age Concern Lewisham is able to provide a befriending scheme to support older people when they leave hospital.

When older people have been in hospital as a result of a fall, or hip replacement operation, or other health problem may suffer some difficulties in walking and suffer a loss of confidence.

Our service provides a volunteer who will visit an older person once a week for up to 3 months. Working with the older person, targets are agreed that they would like to work towards e.g walking outside, or visiting the shops.

The volunteer then works with the older person to help reach these targets. Many older people have found this service extremely helpful and have been delighted to tell us how pleased they are to have worked with a volunteer to help increase their confidence and help to get back in control of their life.

Any older people interested in this service should request this whilst in hospital and then the hospital social worker can make a referral to us. We will then be delighted to visit the patient, discuss the service and help to make arrangements to start a programme.

To find out more about this service, please call John Beecher on 020 8690 9060.