LIPPEN Care has organised an open meeting to be held at the Whitehills Health and Community Care Centre on Monday, February 15 in the hope of attracting new volunteers to offer a befriending service to patients.
The charity, which raised £750,000 to build and equip the Strathmore Hospice at the Whitehills Health and Community Care Centre, has continually developed and improved the level of care and support delivered in partnership with the NHS staff at the h
ospice and the adjacent Clova ward.
This latest befriending project has been devised to build up a regular contact between a patient and a trained volunteer who is willing to commit one or two hours a week.
Full training will be organised by Lippen Care and NHS staff in what the organisers hope will be a rewarding experience for the volunteer and the patient.
Marion Hood, Lippen Care volunteer manager, said: "We are hoping to attract would be volunteers to come along and find out more.
"People who are ill can often feel isolated and lonely. As not everyone has a regular visitor, we thought the best thing to do was to have a dedicated volunteer visitor.
"We work in partnership with the patients, ward manager, Susan Hamill and nursing staff. They will identify patients who they think might benefit from this and the volunteer will then be carefully matched to the patient."
To help new volunteers, three-hourly training sessions will be run over a six week period to guide them through a number of issues. Once the volunteers have completed the 18hours training and selection process they will be asked to commit up to two hours a week.
The charity is hoping to attract a broad age range of volunteers, and particularly men who may have a few hours spare a week.
Marion continued: "Often it is men who don't have many visitors. The visitor could chat with them or perhaps they will share a same interest or hobby.
"The charity is looking for people who are reliable, have an open and non-judgemental attitude and who enjoy spending time with people on a one-to-one basis and be better at listening than talking!"
Those who volunteer to become a hospital visitor/ befriender will be asked to visit patients receiving palliative care at the Strathmore Hospice as well as the G.P. acute ward at the Clova unit.
Lippen Care has been successful in the past in attracting volunteers to help out at the hospice, from those who do the afternoon tea rounds on the wards to those who help cultivate the gardens, create floral arrangements, hold craft sessions for patients, help out on reception or who serve in the charity's shop in the WHCCC's foyer.
Marion continued: "We've organised this open evening and would encourage anyone interested in any aspect of volunteering to come along."
Moira Nicoll, chairman of Lippen Care, praised the important contribution volunteers have made at the hospice since it opened in April 2005.
She said: "They really are invaluable. We thought of this befriending service as there are patients who receive no visitors, whilst others can have many. It could also work the other way; there may be people who are lonely at home and would like to come out and visit patients. They could also benefit.
"We are also looking for volunteers to help with the morning and afternoon shifts in the shop."
Anyone wishing to attend the open evening is asked to contact Marion in the first instance on 475256.
The meeting will begin at 7.00 pm.
