Tower Hamlets Friends & Neighbours – #BefriendingIs comforting!
8th October 2021
Tower Hamlets Friends and Neighbours (THFN) is based in Tower Hamlets, through their befriending services they support the older people (over 55) who are lonely and isolated. They support clients by doing tele befriending, Advocacy, 1: 1 visit, Group activities. They particularly support those who are house bound or frail that have mobility issues and have difficulty going out.
Case Study
Mrs B was referred to THFN by her GP Surgery in February 2021. She had lost her husband in April 2020 due to dementia and Covid 19 and the lockdown had made her very anxious, emotional, lonely and isolated. Mrs B lived alone, had stepchildren, with most of her family members living abroad.
Along with the isolation and loneliness, Mrs B was struggling to deal with the loss of her husband and felt guilty she could not visit him when he was in hospital. She was very emotional, lost motivation to do anything and had started to accumulate a lot of papers, magazines, letters in her home which was causing her stress. Mrs B used to participate in a weekly exercise class, at her local community centre, however, after losing her husband, and not being able to go to her classes she began experiencing low moods, and anxiety.
THFN Input
THFN allocated Mrs B a Befriender Advocate, and when she was first called, she was very emotional, unable to talk and just cried, as she was missing her husband and did not have anyone she could talk to. Her THFN befriender called her a few times a week and as time went by, she began to chat with her Befriender more and more, as the relationship between the two developed common areas of interest which they could speak about. Mrs B also joined a regular group with other THFN clients and was able to share her experiences which helped her.
Outcome
Mrs B now looks forward to speaking to her Befriender.
‘Speaking to my befriender calms me down, she knows how to calm me down when I get too emotional’.
The Befriender has helped her become be more confident in herself.
‘I have changed a bit, I’m starting to tidy my place more, I feel more focused’.
Mrs B feels the befriender has made a lot of difference; she now goes out for regular walks at her local park.
‘My befriender comforts me; I know there is someone there to comfort me’.
By Tower Hamlets Friends & Neighbours
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