Words by Smiley Team
Unable to have visitors, care home residents really felt the weight of isolation during the pandemic. One initiative that hoped to bring them a little extra joy was Care Home Companions, from BT.
In 2020, the company recruited more than 140 contact centre volunteers from its business – across BT, EE and Plusnet – and made thousands of calls to 300 care homes nationwide. Their one aim was to keep residents’ spirits up during the pandemic. And because it was so successful, BT has set the ambitious target to make 15,000 calls to care home residents over the next year.
“Giving back to local communities is so important, so when we heard there was a group of people who’d appreciate a chat, our volunteers jumped at the chance to help,” says Nick Lane, MD of service, BT’s Consumer division. “I couldn’t be prouder of them. The feedback from the residents, carers and care homes has just been overwhelmingly positive and our people love it too.”
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Natalie Tatters is a BT customer service advisor and became a care home companion volunteer last year. She volunteered after watching interviews of the other BT volunteers and care home residents. “It really brought to life the positive impact these calls were having on the residents and I got quite emotional when they asked the residents how they felt in isolation and the difference talking to my BT colleagues made to them,” she says.
“On a personal level these stories really stood out for me as my Grandma lives alone. I see her as much as I can, and the thought of her being alone without friends or family to regularly speak to made me feel like I had to do something to make sure others had someone to talk to.”
Having the opportunity to make these calls and build relationships over the phone has been an amazing experience, says Natalie. “Listening to how happy the residents on the other end of the line are to hear from you, even though we’ve never met. It’s as if we’ve known each other before the call!"
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The residents really appreciated it, too. George, a resident at Kirkwood Court Care home, says he found chatting to the volunteers “fun and easy”.
"We have lots to talk about and they always seem interested in the stories I tell,” he says. “I also enjoy listening to the volunteers and hearing about their life too. They make me feel very comfortable, I feel like I am chatting to an old friend.”
George says he looks forward to the calls every week – “when the staff come in with the phone telling me the volunteer wants to chat with me it brightens my day and I get excited thinking about what we are going to talk about”.
Lauren is a wellbeing coordinator at Kirkwood Court Care Home as says the scheme has been amazing. “The residents love talking to the volunteers it really makes their day," she says.
“It is lovely to hear them talk about their stories and it is very heart-warming when I hear the residents involved in the program talk to other residents and staff about the scheme and how it has made them feel. We are hoping to expand the scheme to more residents in our home as we can see the positive impact it is having on the residents involved now.”
The Care Home Companions initiative is in line with BT’s mission to Connect for Good.
