In this interesting role you'll help lessen older people's anxiety & the sleepless nights caused by financial struggles by assisting with benefit claim forms.

Detailed description

In the role of Information & Advice Volunteer you can make a real difference to an older person’s life. When someone is struggling financially they often keep it to themselves and it can turn into a heavy weight, causing a great deal of anxiety and sleepless nights. In this volunteering role you can help to lift these horrible feelings and really improve a client’s quality of life.

We need Information and Advice volunteers across our whole area of Somerset and North Somerset.

After training and shadowing other volunteers on visits to ensure you feel confident, you will be offered assignments where you visit a client at their home to assist them in completing the forms which will enable them to receive the benefits they are entitled to, which can make a big difference. Our Information and Advice team in the office are always on hand to provide support.

Although this may sound daunting, with every form and visit the process becomes easier and our Volunteers report getting an immense feeling of satisfaction every time they hear that one of their claims has been successful.

This role is never boring. Every assignment is different and you will get to meet interesting people along the way.

The role is flexible as you can pick and choose where and when you would like to work, and you will make your own arrangements with the client you will be visiting. We do ask our Volunteers to carry out a certain number of assignments during the year and we also offer refresher training sessions to ensure your knowledge is up to date.

This role is suited to someone who would like to help older people in their community, who is well organised, ideally good with paperwork, good at listening and able to tactfully draw out the information needed to make a successful claim.

SOME POINTS TO CONSIDER

Volunteers must be over 18.
References and a DBS check are required for this role.
Ideally Volunteers will have their own transport to enable them to undertake assignments in the more rural locations in our area.

Volunteer outcomes:

Talking to others
Increase in confidence
Meet new people
Feel happier
Sense of belonging
Improved Self-esteem
Sense of Purpose
Sense of Achievement
Feel Less Lonely
Improved Social Skills
New Friendships
Feel part of your community

What volunteers need😇 Disclosure and Barring Service

What we will provide to volunteers

🤝 Extra support

Getting there

We need Volunteers across the whole of Somerset and North Somerset. Once trained we try to arrange assignments close to our Volunteers' local area.

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Taunton Opportunities > Age UK Somerset > Information and Advice Volunteers

About Age UK Somerset

Age UK Somerset's mission is to improve life for the older people of Somerset and North Somerset.

There is much to celebrate about getting older, but our later years can also prove challenging: loss of confidence, lack of mobility, financial pressures and suffering from loneliness and isolation are just some of the issues our local older people face.

We offer a wide range of popular and well-used services and activities specifically developed to meet the needs of the over 60s and we need Volunteers to help us run them. These include our Wellbeing Service - including Walk and Talk, Wellbeing Friends and Friendly Phone Calls - Maintenance Cognitive Stimulation Therapy ‘Memory Connections’ groups, Information and Advice service and lots of fun Ageing Well activity sessions. These services can not be provided without the support of our wonderful Volunteers.

As a Volunteer, whatever time you can afford to give and whichever of our many roles you decide suits you the best, your contribution will be helping more older people to enjoy a happier and healthier later life.

NOW more than ever WE NEED YOUR HELP…. A lot of older people are turning to us for support and these services can only continue with the support of people like you.

See more opportunities by Age UK Somerset