Age Concern Befriending Service
What is the Befriending and Re-ablement Service?
The Befriending and Re-ablement Service is about giving you the opportunity to improve your confidence, increase your independence and reduce social isolation.
If you or someone you know are feeling vulnerable, lonely and isolated; a referral can be made to the service and you can be visited by one of our Befriending and Re-ablement Officers.
The service will focus on supporting you to maximise your independence and wellbeing.
We focus on areas which may need focus or improvement such as:
- Where you live
- Looking after yourself
- Your health
- Being treated with dignity
- Getting involved in meaningful activities
- Your social life
- Managing your money
- How you feel
Who is eligible for the service?
- Patients aged 50+
- Patients must live in Sefton
- Patients must have a GP in Sefton
Who can make a referral?
Referrals can be made via the following routes for example:
- Self referral
- Family members & Friends (with consent of applicant)
- Health Professionals (with consent of applicant)
- Voluntary & Community Groups (with consent of applicant)
- Statutory Agencies (with consent of applicant)
- Care Home\ Sheltered Accommodation personnel (with consent of applicant)
CLICK TO COMPLETE A REFERRAL FORM
How long will I need to wait before I can access the service?
- You will be sent an acknowledgment letter confirming that you have been placed on the waiting list for the service
- There is a waiting period to allow us to match you with a Befriending and Re-ablement Officer
- This waiting time can vary and is dependant on the current availability and capacity of the team
- We will contact you once we have established availability of a suitable person for you and arrange a mutually convenient day and time for visits
Where will I be seen?
- We can visit you in your own home or a mutually convenient location by a member of the Befriending and Re-ablement Team
- We will review and discuss your current situation with you and identify any areas which you may want to focus on and improve
Who will visit me?
In the first instance a Befriending and Re-ablement officer will visit. Following your review and depending on your goals, visits can take place in your own home or at a location to be agreed with the Befriending & Re-ablement Officer, for example they may accompany you to a community centre, an art class or another appointment.
What will the review be like?
We will use something called the Independent Living Star to help us review and focus on how we can best improve your situation. It is a series of simple questions that will enable us to work together, helping you to increase your independence, wellbeing and help prevention or lesson your social isolation.
You must be willing to work toward improvement in the tasks/goals you agree to undertake.
- Develop and achieve personal goals
- Looking at your support needs
- Improve your quality of life
For your safety and security:
You will receive a telephone call from one of the team at the Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton office. A mutually convenient appointment time will be discussed, and this will be followed by a letter confirming your appointment details. The Befriending and Re-ablement Officer will be wearing a picture identification badge at all times, please ask to see this on your visits. If you are unsure, please contact the office for confirmation.
How long is the service provided for?
- After your first visit you can access up to an additional five weeks of support with your chosen goals.
- On your sixth week you will be re-assessed, if after this time you require a volunteer Befriender, we will work to match you with a suitable volunteer Befriender.
What practical support is on offer?
The Befriending and Re-ablement Officer will not complete tasks for you, they will work with you, helping you to achieve your goals.
This may include helping you to achieve a number of tasks including:
- Domestic skills - helping you to prepare food and drink for yourself
- Accompanying you to classes, activities etc
- Giving you the confidence to go the shops (helping with shopping)
- Organising and planning your day
- Accompanying you to GP & local hospital visits.
- Assisting you to use public transport or access transport when required
- Providing companionship
- Signpost to other Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton Services
- Signpost to other agency services
What support is not provided?
- The Befriending & Re-ablement Officer will not perform tasks for you including cooking, cleaning or shopping. Other services are available from us that would help with these needs, please ask a member of the team.
- We do not provide personal care in terms of bathing, toileting, personal hygiene.
- We are not able to transport you to appointments etc but can accompany you if required
How confidential is the service?
- Please note the service employs a confidentiality policy; the Befriending & Re-ablement Officers and volunteer Befrienders are obliged to share information when they feel someone is at risk of harm to themselves or others
- This information will be on a need to know basis only and shared with the manager of the service. It will then be the managers’ decision to take any appropriate action. Where possible we would advise you of our intentions.
How much does it cost?
The Befriending and Re-ablement Service is free of charge.
Cancellation of appointments and our procedures
If you are unable to keep an appointment, please ring the office on: Tel: 01704 542 993/0151 256 2544 well in advance (if possible) in order that we may contact your Befriending and Re-ablement Officer and / or volunteer Befriender and inform them of the cancellation.
If you have cancelled more than two appointments, we will have to place your case on hold and you will be advised when a Befriending and Re-ablement Officer will be available to take up your case again.
Important things to note:
- The service operates a non-smoking policy. We ask that if you do smoke to refrain from smoking 1 hour prior to and during the visits.
- We also operate an alcohol free policy. We therefore ask you to refrain from consuming alcohol prior to and during the visit.
- The use of unsuitable or abusive language is not acceptable by either party.
Your feedback on the service:
You will be asked your views and experience of the service once you have completed the Befriending & Re-ablement programme. We would welcome your honest feedback.
Contact details:
Age Concern Liverpool & Sefton
Befriending & Re-ablement Team:
179 Townsend Lane
Liverpool
L13 1DY
Tel: 01704 542 993 / 0151 256 2544
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us on
01704 542 993 / 0151 256 2544