The Change Makers
A podcast celebrating the remarkable not for profit people dedicating their careers to making positive change.
We'll be talking to society's fixers, menders, mopper-uppers and fighters about why they do their job, what they see in their work and why it matters.
The Change Makers
Jeanette Farrow, Compassionate Neighbours, on the realities of a lonely life, and having purpose.
Loneliness and isolation is thought to be one of the most serious health issues we face. It's as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day, it is linked with an increased risk of multiple health conditions including stroke and heart disease, and it affects millions of people in the UK.
Jeanette Farrow is the project manager for Compassionate Neighbours, a social movement which is tackling loneliness and isolation by training volunteers and matching them with those on their own, so they can build new connections and form friendships. Started by the hospice movement, Jeanette's branch of Compassionate Neighbours is based at Garden House Hospice Care in Letchworth Garden City.
A former social worker, it was down to the illness of a child in her care that Jeanette was introduced to the world of hospices and subsequently, to those facing loneliness and social isolation. In this episode, we delve into the realities being faced by the people Jeanette is meeting, the power of the connections she and her team are driving, why she feels she can never do enough and how loneliness may be being felt by those closer than you think.
- Find out more about Compassionate Neighbours in North Hertfordshire: https://www.ghhospicecare.org.uk/compassionate-neighbours
- You can find out more about research into loneliness, including the facts stated above, on the Campaign to End Loneliness website.
- If you'd like to get in touch with The Change Makers team, email thechangemakerspod@gmail.com or find us on Instagram: @thechangemakerspod.