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In this article the Chief Executive of the UK's only teleconferencing charity, Community Network, examines the problem of loneliness and social isolation that growing numbers of older people are now experiencing, and how telephone support and befriending groups can help to alleviate these feelings. As well as highlighting the scale and causes of the problem, the article takes a look at different types of telephone befriending groups and why the telephone is currently a far better solution for delivering this type of support than web‐based alternatives. The article also explains how telephone befriending groups work; how much they cost; evaluating the success of the groups; and, most importantly, what the groups can achieve.

There is increasing interest in befriending services that aim to combat loneliness among older people. The purpose of this paper is to use the Equality Act 2010 as a framework for considering why older people might need these services and why some groups are over and under represented among service users.

Databases, websites and other resources were searched systematically for material on befriending. The final review consisted of 80 items, ranging from research articles, reports, and toolkits.

Individual face to face befriending has been the mainstay of the type of befriending support for older people. The increasing diversity of the older population and reductions in funding has led to adaptations of this model for different groups living in different circumstances.

The resources and time available to conduct the review were limited. It is possible that some relevant material was not identified.

Practitioners working with older people need to know about befriending schemes available in their area and consider the reasons why some groups of older people might be reluctant to use them or require specialist schemes.

Existing research on befriending rarely reports the demographic characteristics of those using the service in detail or considers why some groups of older people might have greater needs for befriending services or be reluctant to use them. The Equality Act 2010 provides a structured framework for considering diversity in access to, and use of, services.

This policy-orientated commentary aims to provide a perspective on the effects of policy changes designed to reduce the risk of infection as a result of COVID-19. The example of the abrupt cessation of volunteering activities is used to consider the policy and practice implications that need to be acknowledged in new public service research to deal with the on-going implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and for future preparedness.

The paper will provide a critical challenge to English pandemic health policy making, in particular, the national instruction “to stop non-essential contact with others” without a strategy on how to remedy the serious side effects of this instruction, in particular on older adults.

The abrupt cessation of volunteering activities of and for older people because of the COVID-19 pandemic is highly likely to have negative health and wellbeing effects on older adults with long-term and far-reaching policy implications.

The paper combines existing knowledge volunteering of and for older adults with early pandemic practice evidence to situate an emerging health and wellbeing crisis for older adults. It emphasises the importance of immediate further detailed research to provide evidence for policy and practice following the lifting of COVID-19 related restrictions and in preparation for future crises.

Grounded in the socio-emotional selectivity theory, the purpose of this paper is to develop a people recommender and social matching system that better serves the information needs of older people on social networking sites or services (SNSs).

The paper uses systems development as a design science research methodology to construct a conceptual framework and then design and prototype a recommender system.

The research demonstrates that it is possible to exploit Google Maps-based interfaces, coupled with historical geo-temporal information, to develop a recommender system on SNSs that can empower older adults to reconnect with past acquaintances.

The proposed system is an advanced prototype that has been tested using simulated data sets as opposed to real-life data involving actual end-users through field studies.

When examined through the lenses of socio-emotional and neighborhood theories, this research opens new opportunities to develop supportive social networks for older people.

The paper promotes a better social engagement and contributes to the mental and physical health of older people, which can act as a shield against loneliness, anxiety and depression.

The paper uses Google Maps interfaces and the concept of geo-temporal proximity indices to build an “elder-friendly” recommender system that can assist older people to reconnect with past friends, neighbors and colleagues.

This article aims to describe an evaluation of a national pilot programme of telephone support services for older people in England and Scotland and is focussed on organisational outcomes.

The “Call in Time Programme” was funded by the national charity Help the Aged and comprised eight telephone support projects in different locations, managed by different voluntary or charitable organisations. Researchers used semi‐structured interviews and a Delphi questionnaire to obtain the views of project coordinators.

Although the projects were found to provide a much needed service for socially isolated and lonely older people, the study identified four key areas of concern: operational structure; promotion and publicity; recruitment of volunteers; referral processes. Project coordinators wanted more autonomy and the flexibility to respond to older people's needs. Projects were limited by restrictions imposed by funding bodies or services themselves.

Project coordinators recommended more local control over project finances, clear referral pathways linking voluntary and statutory bodies, long‐term funding involving project coordinators and older people in planning and delivery, more training for project coordinators, clear record keeping and a coordinated approach to promotion and publicity.

While other studies have highlighted the importance of user involvement, this study provides valuable evidence demonstrating that those responsible for managing and delivering telephone support services, and service users, are instrumental in decision making and planning processes. As organisations are streamlined in efforts to increase efficiency and effectiveness, there is a need for a wider cultural change in the way supportive programmes are viewed and funded.

This paper argues the case for more mentoring and befriending projects to be set up to support older people with various levels of needs. From reducing social isolation to helping with form filling, the benefits of mentoring and befriending are numerous. An introduction to mentoring and befriending is given, along with some case study examples of projects in action. A look at some of the ways befriending can be used to support older people from a new report by the Mentoring and Befriending Foundation is followed by a look at some recent research, concluding with some implications for practice.

The purpose of this paper is to raise awareness of the many benefits associated with older people accessing befriending services and to increase the quantity that are set up and commissioned.

The paper contains a literature review: it looks into the results of two pilot projects and also features some case studies of befriending projects supporting older people.

Befriending services can be used to support older people: as a personalised form of care for those who may be isolated or lonely; to prevent the onset of dementia; to lead more active lives; and to increase the quality of their lives. Befrienders can help to spot illnesses which can prevent costly health conditions before they progress and help to reduce the burden on the National Health Service (NHS).

The positive research results from two pilot projects are featured in the paper, which both highlight that befriending services should be available for all older people throughout the country, if they so choose.

The research outcomes are positive and back up the argument for the introduction of more befriending services to be available to all older people, particularly those with personal budgets. Befriending services can also lead to cost saving benefits for the NHS through the early intervention and prevention of complicated health issues and through reducing dependency on its resources too.

Befriending services help to improve quality of life and should be more widely available to older people to access its personalised form of support and so should feature in public policy.

This paper highlights the role of befriending to those unsure of its meaning or role. This paper is of value to older people; local and central government; commissioners of health care; and people looking to improve the quality of life for older people.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the work of the new, free telephone helpline The Silver Line in empowering older people to overcome social isolation and loneliness, and where appropriate refer cases of abuse and neglect to specialist services.

Beginning with a family member's description of how the helpline made a difference to her relative this paper then outlines the rationale, methods and outcomes of The Silver Line, including a role it may play in reducing demand for NHS services.

The paper highlights that social isolation and loneliness can be tackled through a helpline which leaves control firmly in the hands of callers while offering them a gateway to activities and services.

It seems that telephone contact is a particularly helpful way for isolated people to begin to build social contact given that there is evidence of a stigma associated with admitting to loneliness.

Given a straightforward way to connect to others, people are empowered to overcome their own loneliness, improve their well-being and sometimes to rejoin their community. The charity reports that callers to the helpline may themselves become volunteer befrienders (“Silver Line Friends”) providing support to others and gaining evidence of their own value to society. In addition, a friendly chat over the phone can be an enabling link to gaining new skills, such as computer literacy, which may otherwise seem out of reach or irrelevant.

The paper emphasises the importance of this helpline specifically and the wider need for hard to reach, isolated older people to have an accessible stepping stone to greater social contact and a higher quality of life.

BEFRIENDING IS A VALUED form of support for people in receipt of community care services, and offers something which is qualitatively different from the support which paid staff can give. This paper, based on recent research, explores the perspectives of users and reports on some of the problems facing befriending organisations.