Hi everyone,
I have been in touch with colleagues in Bristol, who have given me some information about this befriending service and how it is being run.
This is a new service that is being developed by Alzheimer’s Society, and we want it to be open to all. It will be run in addition to a number of other services in the Bristol area (e.g. Singing for the Brain, memory cafes, and information services), which are supported by fundraising income.
Councils are working towards providing people with more personal budgets, and this changes the way that organisations such as Alzheimer’s Society are funded locally.
Some people with dementia will be entitled to personal budgets paid for by the council, which will help them to access services such as this. We will support people to access these benefits as much as we can.
There are a range of costs involved in setting up and maintaining an effective, safe and robust service. These include:
- Training and support for volunteers
- Expenses
- Staff support
- Information and promotional materials
- Overheads (for example, we need to ensure that lone working procedures are in place, and there is a cost to this, with regard to both staff and office functions).
Alzheimer’s Society values and promotes volunteering, and we are very appreciative of the hard work and dedication of our volunteers. Ensuring that our volunteers are properly trained, supported and supervised is crucial.
I’d suggest that any Talking Point members who have further questions or concerns that they’d like to raise in relation to this particular service should contact my colleagues in the Bristol area, as they will be best placed to respond.
You can contact either:
Lorna Robertson, Locality Manager by
email or on 07889 604 358, or
Paula Shears, Support Services Manager by
email or on 07540 920973.
Best wishes,