Case study: A Friend-In-Deed

The aim of a Friend Indeed is to rebuild self confidence and self esteem in older people recently discharged from hospital. The scheme will offer friendship and support to help the clients reintegrate with their community and overcome obstacles to managing their home environment.

NEED

Isolated older people are less healthy, physically and mentally, take up more health professional resources and are more likely to be admitted to A & E. The current growth in NHS spending on acute services will, in 10 years time, be unsustainable. Directing resources to support the most vulnerable groups remain in their home and involved in their community will improve patient health and result in a positive impact on acute hospital admission. The pilot scheme below sets out to measure this impact.

Daksha Chaucan-Keys, Chief Officer of Age Concern Brent & Jane Dawson, Associate Health Launchpad 

SOLUTION

The Young Foundation have undertaken extensive global, national and cross sector research together with fieldwork in three London Boroughs. Our findings have led us to Identify the group of ‘well’ people most likely to require crisis care and establish where the biggest gap exists in preventing those people from accessing the help they need in advance of a crisis occurring.

PROJECT

A Friend-In-Deed reaches the most vulnerable members of the 70+ age group at a time when an escalation of friendship and support is required to regain an independent lifestyle; after a stay in hospital. A Friend-In-Deed is the social glue that binds together a genuine friendly chat with link into a local information resource. Offering continuity of support over a 6 weeks period, it consists of a daily phone call from a specially trained volunteer. It will operate in the London Borough of Brent, delivered by the local Age Concern and Brent PCT. 

PILOT

Many products and services for older people are things that are done for them and to them. Our pilot scheme is about making personal connections, creating a bespoke service between older people and volunteers. Over 6 weeks a relationship will develop between someone who is newly navigating a post hospital world and who has a rich cultural and local history to share and a volunteer who has the knowledge to signpost to health and community activities available. The pilot aims to deliver irrefutable evidence of a change in attitude and behaviour as well as reducing a reliance on health professionals.

PARTNERSHIPS

We are working with Brent Primary Care Trust and Age Concern to deliver this project