Caraway - Hope in the unknown
Today we’re sharing the work of Caraway, a Christian charity who support older people in Southampton to combat loneliness and create community.
Although the past few months has had its challenges in supporting older and more vulnerable people, we’re proud to share the work that Caraway has achieved throughout lockdown, as well as their plans going forward. Here’s what they had to say:
Celebrating our achievements so far
“In the past 4-5 months we’re proud to say that we have achieved the following with Love Southampton:
1. We sent out 200 copies of an activity newsletter called "Together We Stand" every 2-3 weeks in collaboration with Portswood dementia action group and NHS Admiral Nurses.
2. We also collaborated with NHS Admiral Nurses to start "Caraway Care", a Bereavement and Loss Listening Service for families affected by dementia. We hope to publicise this more widely in future and gain more referrals via Love Southampton.
3. We have successfully moved our sessions online for ‘Vintage Adventure at Home’, a monthly spiritually based session. We plan to continue with this as coming out to communal events is still very uncertain for our older vulnerable group. We have made our resources available free to care home residents. These resources are available at www.caraway.uk.com
4. Our 4 Anna Chaplains and their helpers have been supporting large numbers of lonely elderly people in their homes and bringing them a newsletter twice a month.
5. We will be running the Omega Course starting on 14th September. This course we run for 5 weeks via Zoom on Monday afternoons. We will be looking at topics such as ‘What does it mean to grow old?’ and ‘How can I embrace the increasing changes in later life?’
Moving forward/what we need now
In order to keep moving forward and delivering this service, we need volunteers!
We currently need volunteers;
To help us with the Caraway Care Listening Service. These volunteers will support people with experience in Listening and bereavement issues.
Volunteers to visit people in care homes who have no visitors, or to join a care home team delivering acts of Christian worship in either a care home or supported housing.
If you’re interested in volunteering, please contact email caraway@caraway.uk.com
If you would like to refer someone to an Anna Chaplain, please contact us via our website, contact an Anna Chaplain or email caraway@caraway.uk.com”
#ThereIsHope