Helping Hands Befriending and Support Service

What is Helping Hands?

In the video below Helping Hands volunteer Alison Stephen and client Anne Munro discuss their personal experiences of this befriending and support service provided by Highland Hospice.

Helping Hands is a volunteer befriending service delivered and supported by Highland Hospice in communities throughout the region.

Following an initial assessment by one of our staff the person is matched to their own volunteer befriender. The volunteer visits the person regularly in their own home providing social and practical support in an informal way. The service is open to all individuals in need regardless of their diagnosis. The service also aims to support carers by enabling them the opportunity to have some time for themselves in the knowledge their loved one is being well supported.

Helping Hands aims to support people throughout the Highlands therefore we are working in partnership with a number of organisations providing befriending in their local communities. For further information please visit our page 'Befriending Services Across the Highlands'.

What will our volunteers do?

Care is taken in matching volunteers with a person or family and the relationship between each Helping Hands volunteer and the person they support is unique. The amount of time and activities will vary but every volunteer will provide a friendly ear to listen as well as extra assistance to help reduce anxiety and stress for individuals and carers. Helping Hands volunteers may:

Short car trips/outings
Sit with people to enable carers to have a break
Chat about local or national news and sports
Read with a person
Help with a hobby
Help with practical tasks such as writing letters or shopping
Provide emotional support at times of change of difficulty
Accompany to medical appointments or a social group

Volunteers will not become involved in personal care, medical care, counselling, domestic tasks such as cooking or cleaning, nor financial or legal matters.

Here is what one of our service users had to say

‘I act as a carer for my brother who is living with a life limiting illness, which makes it very difficult for me to go out anywhere alone.

Recently, we started using the Helping Hands service. My brother is a very quiet, shy person who doesn’t make friends quickly so of course I was apprehensive about someone who we had never met before coming to the house to spend time with him. I went out to the bingo and came home to find him and his companion chatting away and laughing – getting on so well. What a great thing that was! The next week I came back and they were watching a film together and thoroughly enjoying each other’s company. I now look forward to going to the bingo once a week, while he looks forward to seeing his Helping Hands companion.

I would tell anybody who can make use of this service to do so. It really is a great thing and has changed our lives so much for the better.’

Referral

Individuals and family members may self-refer to the Helping Hands service. Once your referral is received we will make an appointment to discuss the service with you and also make contact with the GP or community nurse responsible for your care.

If you think that you or someone you know may benefit from Helping Hands contact us:

Telephone: 01463 423202 or 07874724878
Email: helpinghands@highlandhospice.org.uk

Being a Helping Hands volunteer

Helping Hands Befriending and Support Service image

You can learn more about being a Helping Hands volunteer and apply to be one here.

We are currently recruiting for volunteers. All volunteers are provided specialist training. For more information contact:

Susan Smith, Service Manager
s.smith@highlandhospice.org.uk

If you would like to attend one of our Helping Hands Volunteer information sessions as a taster before commiting to this role you may. A list of upcoming dates is available here.

Supporting Local Communities

Helping Hands is working in partnership with local communities to enhance and expand existing befriending services or establish new befriending services in throughout the Highlands. Read about our partnerships here.

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Registered Office: Highland Hospice, Ness House, 1 Bishops Road, Inverness IV3 5SB.
Telephone: 01463 243132. Email: generalenquiries@highlandhospice.org.uk
Highland Hospice is a registered Scottish charity, no. SC011227 and a company limited by guarantee, no. SC093464
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