What is the Inclusive Community Care Project?

The Inclusive Community Care Project is part of our current long-standing Good Neighbour Friendly Visiting Scheme. Our befriending scheme aims to reduce older people’s feelings of loneliness and isolation through regular telephone calls and visits to their home. These regular conversations help to build a meaningful interaction in a comfortable environment.

The Inclusive Community Care project builds on our existing Good Neighbour Scheme and is adapted so that it is culturally sensitive and catered towards the needs of older people and volunteers from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds. Our aim is to actively engage and build relationships with BAME communities so that BAME volunteers and older people can benefit from much needed support. Through our support we can also signpost older people to other services available in their community which they may otherwise not know about.  

The Good Neighbour Scheme is open to older people and volunteers from all cultural and ethnic backgrounds. However, as part of the Inclusive Community Care project we are especially looking to recruit volunteers and to support older people from BAME backgrounds and those who speak additional languages.  Where possible, we aim to match volunteers and older people according to their needs (e.g. someone who speaks the same language, from the same cultural background or lives locally).

Why would an older person from a BAME background require this support?

These are just a few reasons why an older person may require friendship and support from SCCCC.

• They may have had few opportunities to build connections outside of the family network.
• Increasing work and childcare commitments can mean that family members are finding it difficult to support their older parents or are no longer able to live in the same household.
• Language barriers and being unable to relate to British born family and friends
• Read our blog to find out more about the difficulties facing BAME older people. 

Meet Vijay - Volunteer Befriender 

I live alone in Sheffield far way from loved ones. My work colleague’s girlfriend mentioned S4C to me and I felt that by spending time with an elderly person we would have someone whom we would look forward to meeting every week. I am glad I joined S4C and this September it will be two years. It has been wonderful experience volunteering with S4C and I always enjoyed the friendly conversations with Karen, Ericka, Sharon and Rehneesa. I wish S4C would get more financial support so that they can reach out to more people in Sheffield. I very much enjoyed the tea evenings/Christmas gifts/various fundraising events.

I see Joseph, an elderly Jamaican man who is his late 80s. He is immobile as he his knee replacement was not successful. I enjoy talking with him; I share photographs and videos from my trips, play music on my iPad, and watch the telly with him (The Chase). I see him on Mondays at 5:30 pm; I either walk to his place or take the tram/bus and it has been an wonderful experience to partake in various people’s life even in only for 30 minutes. I learnt about the streets of the route 120 bus. I am sad that I will not be able to continue visiting Joseph after mid September as I have been offered a position. I hope I would be able to say goodbye to him before I leave Sheffield. I wish S4C all the very best. You are working hard and reaching out to the elderly who have a lot to share/offer to those who are in their younger years.

Read more from Vijay and Inclusive Community Care volunteer, Azura here

Looking to volunteer?

Do you love to chat? Do you want to support your local community? Can you spare an hour a week to visit an older person? Speak any additional languages? Then join us as a volunteer.

Want extra friendship & support or know someone who would?

Looking for a friendly face to sit & chat with on a regular basis? Someone who can speak your own language & understands? Are you 65 or over? Then contact us.

 The launch of the Inclusive Community Care project was featured on DANYA News. See the clip here. 

For more information contact:

Lynn Smith - Volunteer Recruitment Officer 

email: volunteers@scccc.co.uk

 0114 2505292