Aberdeen Linking Lives

Aberdeen Linking Lives is a befriending service aimed at older adults who find themselves requiring some extra friendship and support, and this is provided through weekly home visits or telephone calls. We match volunteers with those who are referred to us and all volunteers are carefully selected, trained and vetted.

We accept referrals from statutory organisations such as social workers, social prescribers, GP’s and community health practitioners, charities, friends and family members or self-referrals.

Our service should be requested with the agreement of the person concerned. We regret that we may be unable to arrange visits where there are health conditions that impact significantly on a person’s ability to hold a conversation. Our service is available to older adults living within Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire

The role of a volunteer is to carry out a regular home visit or telephone call to an allocated ‘scheme member’ usually for one hour every one or two weeks. This contact is often a lifeline for those who are unable to leave their home very often, and who have little contact with others in the community.

The majority of our volunteers report that they have an extremely positive experience within their role and that they benefit from their experience as much as their allocated friend. We are keen to build on this mutual benefit and encourage all volunteers to look for opportunities to celebrate and honour the achievements and experiences of scheme members.

‍