Friendly Phone Calls 

Loneliness and social isolation can have a serious effect on older people’s health, and sadly, more than a million people over the age of 75 say they go a month or longer without speaking to a friend, neighbour or family member.

Thankfully, support is on hand in the form of Friendly Phone Calls. Anyone aged over 60 in Somerset feeling lonely, isolated, or low can have a telephone call from a friendly volunteer.  Alongside the Walk and Talk and Wellbeing Friends programmes, Friendly Phone Calls is part of Open Mental Health partner AGEUK Somerset’s Wellbeing Service.

Today, 323 older Somerset residents enjoy the company of volunteers through Walk and Talk, Wellbeing Friends and Friendly Phone Calls.  But it wasn’t always so; the number of people supported has grown with the project.

Angela Toohey’s Story and the Evolution of Friendly Phone Calls

Angela Toohey is a dedicated and compassionate professional whose work with Age UK Somerset supports the mental and physical wellbeing of older people in the county. With a background in promoting good health, she has been fundamental to the success and development of Friendly Phone Calls.

Angela began working with Age UK Somerset four years ago as a class coordinator for the Ageing Well programme, organising exercise classes for the over-55s. In March 2022, she took on the responsibility of managing the Friendly Phone Calls service three days a week, recognising that the two roles complemented each other well, as both improve older people’s quality of life.

The Importance of Friendly Phone Calls

Initially supporting 36 people, Angela says that the value of Friendly Phone Calls became clear after the covid lockdowns, explaining, “After the pandemic, the service was really popular. People were still quite nervous about face-to-face visits, having been told for so long that they couldn’t see anybody. A stranger coming into their home was daunting.”

As a remote service, Friendly Phone Calls offers a non-intrusive way to provide support, and its value is evident from the deep connections formed between older people and volunteers. Angela said, “One lady and her volunteer got so friendly they went on holidays together. It’s really lovely.”

Part of the project’s growth has been an expansion from purely remote to in-person activities. Walk and Talk and Wellbeing Friends are off-shoots from Friendly Phone Calls. Walk and Talk supports older people living alone who feel isolated and want some company and encouragement to go outside, which benefits their emotional, mental and physical health. Wellbeing Friends matches a volunteer with an older client in their local area for a regular home visit to provide companionship and a window to the outside world.

Whether contact is made by phone or face-to-face, the programme is good for volunteers as well, many of whom are retired: “It’s as beneficial for them as it is for the older person. They’re not just helping someone; they’re giving back and getting some company themselves.”

A Growing Success

Angela says the project’s rapid growth brought challenges and had an emotional impact: “About a year and a half ago, it became clear more people wanted face-to-face visits. When we opened up for those visits, it just went off the scale. I was finding it really difficult to manage the two roles because it became so much busier.”

Addressing concerns raised by team members added to the stress: “I found it hard because the service started so much smaller, and I’d invested so much emotional time into it. When it became bigger, it was difficult to cut off. Volunteers would say they couldn’t get hold of someone or were worried about a person’s wellbeing. I felt it wasn’t fair to say, ‘I’ll get back to you in two days.’ I wasn’t very good at switching off. Working from home meant my laptop was always on, and I’d be dealing with emails at eight o’clock at night, trying to find out if someone had gone into hospital.”

To manage the growth, Angela and Age UK Somerset transitioned the administrative responsibilities to an office-based team, enabling more structured boundaries. Angela, who will be concentrating her efforts on coordinating the Ageing Well programme county-wide, said, “It made it easier for me to walk away. They basically said, ‘You don’t need to worry anymore. We’ll take it on.’”

Powerful Stories of Transformation

Angela has seen life-changing moments for volunteers and the people they support. One volunteer helped a client learn to paint, providing a creative outlet that brought a lot of happiness into their life. Another client, a 102-year-old former prisoner of war, shared some of his extraordinary life experiences, keeping rich memories alive through conversation. Angela reflects that older people hold invaluable knowledge.

Preventative Health Benefits

It’s better to prevent ill health than to be treated for it, and Angela recognises the preventative value of Friendly Phone Calls: “By giving older people encouragement, it stops them from stagnating and becoming more unwell. Mental health unquestionably affects physical health.” The service often prevents more severe mental health issues from developing, “Nine times out of ten, just having someone to talk to turns people around.”

Looking Forward to a Healthier and Happier Somerset

Angela’s work with Friendly Phone Calls and its sister projects has brought connection and support to hundreds of older people in Somerset. As she steps away to focus on the Ageing Well programme, she says: “The classes are at the start of the wellbeing journey, preventing people from needing services like Friendly Phone Calls. It’s about keeping people okay before they need more support.”

If you or someone you know would benefit from Friendly Phone Calls, Walk and Talk or Wellbeing Friends, you can learn more on the Age UK Somerset website. Alternatively, for advice, guidance, or just to talk, you can call Mindline Somerset any time of the day or night on 01823 276892 or freephone at 0800 138 1692.

Could you volunteer for Friendly Phone Calls?

Could you be part of the Friendly Phone Calls service and help support someone feeling isolated or lonely? Age UK Somerset is always looking for more friendly volunteers to ensure they can support every older person referred to them through Open Mental Health.

If you’d like to become a Friendly Phone Calls volunteer and brighten an older person’s day with regular phone conversations from the comfort of your own home, please contact Age UK Somerset directly on 01823 345623 or email volunteers@ageuksomerset.org.uk