91% of volunteers who responded say they are proud to volunteer for Independent Age and 83% feel they are making a useful contribution. Interestingly, Independent Age volunteers are also happier than the UK average! And 1 in 5 of you say you have felt less lonely yourself since volunteering.
You also told us how we could improve the support we provide. As a result, we plan to improve our communication and provide better support, training and administration. To address this we are reviewing our communications and would like to hear from volunteers who would like to help us ensure our communications are useful and clear. If you are interested in joining the group, please email volunteering@independentage.org or call 020 7605 4255 for more information on how to apply.
We want to ensure you receive regular support either face-to-face or over the phone with your Independent Age contact every month, three, six and 12 months and then at least every six months after that. We understand some of you may feel there’s a lot of paperwork and we’re looking at how to make this as straightforward and quick to complete as possible. Look out for more details in the autumn.
Feedback from the people we support
It’s also important to listen to what the people we support say about our services and so we are carrying out a telephone survey among a sample of the older people we support during the second half of August. If the person you visit or call mentions this, please reassure them we are doing this to help us improve our support.
Referring someone to our Friendship Service
Do you know an older person who you think would benefit from our Friendship Services? Click here to see what is involved and check it is right for them.