Our Befriending project helps address the loneliness experienced by many older people who are blind or partially sighted across Derby and Derbyshire, by providing one-to-one befriending support from a trained volunteer. As one beneficiary said, "My befriender is the light in my darkness".
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Beneficiaries
We know from the people we talk to every day that loneliness often goes hand in hand with sight loss, especially in older people who may have other health or mobility issues too. This has been reinforced by research which has found people who are blind or partially sighted are three times more likely to experience loneliness and isolation than the general public (Abertay University 2024) and 40% of blind and partially sighted people feel cut off from people and things around them (RNIB 2021).
Our Befriending Project matches trained volunteers with isolated, older people who are blind or partially sighted. After a careful matching process, each volunteer visits their 'befriendee' once a week or fortnight, or calls on the telephone, breaking the silence and bringing the outside world in. They may help with small tasks such as reading letters or may even go out together to a local cafe for example. It can have a big impact: "I feel less isolated knowing I have someone coming to chat to"
