Age Concern throughout Herefordshire and Worcestershire

 Regular Sits

As part of the Worcestershire Sitting Service, we are able to offer 2-3 hours of respite per week to the carers of older people who need 24 hour a day care, helping them to carry on caring. This service is delivered by a team of volunteers and care assistants who understand the problems and issues facing carers and the people they care for.

Flexible Sits

When a volunteer or care assistant is available we can also provide a sitter for longer than 3 hours, or on an occasional basis, to cover something that is not a regular occurrence, a family occasion or medical appointment, for example.

How does it work?

Carers can get in touch with us in a variety of ways. You may read this article and decide to telephone us, or a friend or relative may phone us on your behalf. Or someone from your Doctors, or Social Services, or another health or social care professional who knows about you may ask us to contact you.

Sitting can take place anytime of the day and for a variety of reasons. When you know that the person you care for is in safe hands you might what to use your time to:-

• Go shopping
• Have your hair done
• Go to a club or group meeting
• Visit family and friends

Most of our volunteer sitters are available morning or afternoon Monday to Friday, but some prefer to sit during the evenings and weekends. Volunteers usually sit with the person, keeping them company, maybe having a chat and making a cup of tea. If it is appropriate, some sitters may offer to take the cared for person out – to visit a garden centre, for example.

The service is reviewed after six weeks contact between the 'sitter', the 'carer' and the 'cared for person', and then at regular intervals in order to monitor any changes in the needs of both the befriender and the person they are befriending.  

There is no charge for this service.

For further information, to ask about the availability of a volunteer, to offer yourself as a volunteer [a service such as this is totally dependent on the willingness of volunteers to come forward], or to make a referral, please contact Sue Wilkes by:

Phone on: 01527 871840

Fax on: 01527 880044

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