SIS Bilingual Telephone Befriending Service, received this referral in December 2021 from TDC via Together Co. The Arabic speaking Scheme Member was matched with a volunteer in January 2022.
The scheme member is in her early 70s, she lives in a retirement complex.
An interview with the Scheme Member was conducted through a SIS Community Interpreter.
I would like to thank you for this project, it is great. It came at the right time for me. I was very depressed and it really helped me with my mood.
I was referred to the Befriending Project because of my depression, anxiety and PTSD, lots of wellbeing issues going on. I didn’t want to see anyone or leave the house, my mood was very flat.
I have been here [in the UK] for 5 years and only a year ago got my “leave to remain”. The long wait impacted on me. On top of that, plus physical health issues, my son had some problems too.
The calls were great for me, it was not formal, and it wasn’t about asking and answering formal questions. It was informal and a real chat with a friend and we laughed together. It released the pressure and worries for me.
There is nothing to improve, you are like angels for me.
The Volunteer Befriender also enjoyed her relationship with the scheme member;
[the Scheme Member] was funny and an interesting conversationalist. I enjoyed her different experiences and expertise. We agreed to talk once every two weeks as she has just moved to her permanent flat and needs time to settle in.
As a result of the befriending relationship, SIS has been able to support the scheme member with other practical issues. In particular, arranging hospital transport for a knee replacement operation that the scheme member had struggled to arrange herself and the staff she dealt with had been unpleasant. She expressed a belief that the service had been withheld because of her race.
