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Compassionate Neighbours are trained volunteers who are support people who are lonely or at risk of isolation, who are nearing the end of life through age or illness. As a Compassionate Neighbour, you will visit someone in your own community (we always aim to introduce you to someone who is within walking distance) who you will visit for around an hour each week. Every match is different - you will likely spend your time talking, drinking tea, sharing hobbies & interest, catching up on local gossip, or just catching up. There is no typical Compassionate Neighbour: we are keen to recruit people who represent our boroughs. The only requirement is that you are over 18 and that you want to make where you live stronger by connecting with people who need some support to be part of their local community, You will be supported along your journey by the Compassionate Neighbours team at Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice - we will invite you to ‘training’ to help prepare you for spending time with someone who is nearing the end of life; you will be introduced to other Compassionate Neighbours, who are a source of mutual support; we will invite you to monthly meetings to discuss challenges you might be facing; and the team are always available to discuss anything you might need help with. Our training is open to anyone - even if you are not sure if you are interested in being involved in visiting people. We love it when people come along, learn about the Hospice & supporting their community and use the training to find their own role within our programme.
The main skill is to be you! The people we support are all different - and we aim to introduce you to someone who we think you will get on with. If you are good at holding a conversation (and even better at listening), are empathetic and want to help people feel connected to your community, you will be a perfect Compassionate Neighbour.
This role is fun. You will meet new people who will very likely become friends - you will hear new perspectives, meet people who are interesting and enjoy your visits. You will connect better with your local community and will know that you are supporting someone who will really benefit from meeting you - and will learn a lot from them too. You will learn about the Hospice and how people nearing the end of life are supported, which will enable you to advocate for your community to be better-supported in the future.
