Welsh charity launches campaign to safeguard ‘jewel in crown’ service for future generations

A Welsh charity has launched their ‘Left Inside Alone’ campaign aimed at safeguarding their beloved ‘Befriending’ Service which provides isolated older people with someone to check on their wellbeing.

The service has been at the heart of the work of Age Connects Cardiff and the Vale for more than half-a-century without the need for public funding.

Delivered by a small team of volunteers, the Service has been a lifeline for many older people but its long-term future is under threat as funding streams fall away.

More than 100 older people in Cardiff & the Vale look forward to seeing their befrienders every week, someone to check they are okay and provide emotional support.

Local authorities and family members refer people to the Service and there is a lengthy waiting list.

The ‘Left Inside Alone’ campaign will amplify the unheard voices of older people who rely on the Service through their compelling stories.

It will shine a light on shifting family dynamics in society as startling statistics predict the extent of how many people will be living home alone in their later years.

Exclusive figures revealed today show in just four years’ time almost half of people aged 65+ in Cardiff & the Vale will live alone with numbers in that age group increasing by almost a quarter.

Fewer people with children and family members who have either emigrated or moved away, mean more older people will be home alone potentially with serious health conditions and no extra family support ramping up the burden on social care already in crisis.

The in-person community service is the only one left of its kind in Cardiff & the Vale of Glamorgan and is much more than a “cuppa and a chat.”

In the past, volunteers have contacted emergency surgeries after discovering clients who have fallen or gotten sick. The consequences of future generations not having the service are “devastating” to people who rely on it week in week out.

Howard from Ely, Cardiff, has carers but looks forward to visits from Esperance, his dedicated volunteer, every week.

The 84-year-old former Butlins Blue Coat tragically lost his wife and child when he was younger and has secondary liver cancer.

One of ten children, his brothers and sisters have either passed away, are in ill health or live too far away to visit. He has a sister in Canada who he speaks to every week over the telephone, but he misses the human connection of his big family.

He said: “I have found the Befriending Service to be the single most beneficial thing in my life.

“It has reduced my depression and loneliness, and I no longer need the amount of medication I was taking. I have a great connection with my volunteer, Esperance, and I always look forward to her visits. We play cards and we chat.

“Age Connects Cardiff & the Vale does wonderful work making people less lonely and depressed. If I did not have the visits from Esperance every week, I would be a lot lonelier and not have a single visitor.

“I have decided to speak out to ensure this Service continues for future generations with the funding it deserves and more volunteers, like Esperance, who lifts my spirits and is the highlight of my week.”

Esperance became a volunteer with the Befriending Service after moving to Wales from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and has ambitions to become a social worker.

She said: “Howard is a lovely man with a wonderful of humour – we mostly play cards when I visit which he enjoys, and we have a laugh.

“I grew up with my grandparents in Congo and loved me and taught me kindness. I want to pass on the love I had to others who are lonely. My grandfather passed away last year, and it was sad as I wasn’t with him at the end.

“I look forward to seeing Howard every single week and both our lives are better for it.”

The campaign has the backing of former World Champion 400 metre runner Jamie Baulch who set up celebrity funding venture UWIN to support charities through economically challenging times.

“I set up UWIN to help charities like Age Connects Cardiff & the Vale who work tirelessly to make a positive impact in our communities but are facing massive financial constraints and having to make cutbacks.

“That is where I come in, to help charities raise funds without the outlay and help them sustain vital services to the benefit of us all.

“I cannot imagine a future where older people are ‘Left Inside Alone’ without a single visitor, but this could be what the future sadly looks like unless we collectively do something about it.

“I hope to help Age Connects Cardiff & the Vale raise awareness of their Befriending Service and bring in the vital funds needed to keep the Service going into the next decade and beyond.”

Maxine Johnson, CEO of Age Connects Cardiff & the Vale, said: “The aim of Welsh Government is for age-friendly communities where older people live their best lives in our communities.

“We whole-heartedly support that ambition, but they are just words unless there is funding available. As it stands, society is struggling to provide the basics.

“The need for our Befriending Service is greater than ever. It is a jewel in our crown, and at the heart of everything we do.

“As a charity, we are doing our best against the odds to support a growing number of people living alone in their twilight years, a trend not just happening Cardiff and the Vale but UK-wide.

“The detrimental effects of loneliness on physical and mental health are well-known, and our Befriending Service is so much more than a cuppa and a chat. It is a lifeline for many.

“The consequences of not having this Service for those who lean on it are devastating and will only increase the burden on social care services already in crisis.

“Our Befriending Service will keep running in the short term, but its long-term future is uncertain. We hope this campaign will be a massive wake-up call.

“Doorstep services have been disappearing from our communities over the past decade or so, with many now only offered over the telephone or online, but the need to bring them back home again is coming full circle again with swift societal change.

“I will do everything in my power to safeguard and sustain this service for future generations of older people to come – our mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters –but we need more funding support and volunteers as demand rises.

“Too often services for older people are overlooked, and Left Inside Alone is a call-to-arms for people like Howard for whom this Service is a lifeline.”

You can find out about the Befriending Service and the practical help offered by Age Connects Cardiff and the Vale on their website. You can also find information about volunteering.