This role helps to get groups of older people chatting by phone
on a regular basis. These group chats may be based around
conversation or shared interests in books or DVDs. Live
Wires groups are especially important to those who may not be
able to get out. Facilitating these meetings means ensuring the
conversation keeps flowing and everybody is included in
discussions. An ideal role for a good communicator or someone who
wants to volunteer from home.
Here's an overview of the role and the skills required:
Click here to
read a full role profile and description.
For more information about Live Wires, please call
Rosalind Devine on 020 7605 4232 or send an email.
Meet Sighle, Live Wires facilitator
Sighle (pronounced Sheila) lives
outside of Dublin. She facilitates a Live Wires telephone
discussion group every week. Live Wires is a social
lifeline to many older people who may be housebound, isolated or
lonely. In a Live Wires session, six to nine participants
are connected in a conference call, and a volunteer like Sighle
keeps the discussion flowing and inclusive.
Describe what goes on during a Live Wires
session.
They are all basically very isolated, mostly because their health
is bad. You know, they have serious health problems. But they've
coalesced very much into a friendship situation, and they chat
quite merrily.
The topics can range from whatever is hitting newspaper
headlines--[once the group had] certain apprehensions about what
the budget was going to bring, although we were told that
pensioners' payments would not be affected. I don't very often
intervene, because there is no problem, ever, getting the Irish to
talk--they talk!
Were you nervous about leading the group?
I must admit I was somewhat apprehensive as to how it would go,
because at the training [Rosalind Devine, the projects officer in
charge of Live Wires, trains Live Wires
facilitators by phone] it was suggested that one would have topics,
so if the conversation flagged you could change the topic. But
that's never happened, they never seem to run out of words! And
they all seem to look forward to the following week and there's
quite an amount of affection in the voices for each other, and
they're all interested in each other. They ask personal questions,
you know, it's not intrusive.
What do you personally gain from facilitating a Live
Wires group?
Interest, stimulation. I need to mix with people, and I need that
stimulation. I get very easily bored!
