RNIB Talk and Support tele befriending service

Title:
RNIB Talk and Support Tele Befriending Service

Author(s):
Alex Saunders RNIB

Publisher:
RNIB

Year of publication:
2008

Background:

RNIB Talk and Support provides a range of telephone groups to people with sight loss from across the UK. In April 2007, The Big Lottery Fund commissioned an independent longitudinal research study of the Tele Befriending (telephone social groups) service. Tele Befriending provides blind and partially sighted people with the opportunity to receive regular and ongoing peer interaction and support, from the comfort of home over the telephone. To determine the long term impact and effectiveness of the service and how outcomes for participants might change over time, this longitudinal study has tracked telephone group participants using qualitative research techniques over a 0 to 6 month and 1 year plus period.

Key findings:

• The longer people remain active with the Tele Befriending service, the more intensive the psychological and social benefits for participants become over time.

• After six months of telephone group interaction, participants reported feeling less lonely and isolated as a result of their sight loss. Participants established meaningful friendships and connections within the telephone groups. This contributed to increased confidence and improved general wellbeing amongst participants.

• As a result of social contact with peers, participants felt differently about their sight loss. After six months of telephone group participation, many participants felt more positive about their sight loss and situation. This contributed significantly to improved general wellbeing.

• After six months or more in a telephone group, the positive impact of the group extended beyond the instance of participation. Participants thought about their group and fellow participants during the week. This provided a real and significant psychological boost for participants.

• Friendships formed within the virtual telephone group environment significantly expanded participants' social horizons. This helped to counteract feelings of social exclusion and isolation experienced by participants as a result of their sight loss. This was a significant psychological benefit for participants.

• By sharing experiences and information within the groups, participants gained practical knowledge about sight loss aids and equipment. This improved participants' functionality in the domestic environment.

• Rather than a replacement for other social opportunities and activities, Tele Befriending became part of participants' daily lives. This reflected the changing function of the group for participants over time.

• Rather than being a barrier to friendship and social interaction, the telephone group environment demonstrated clear advantages in comparison to face to face contact for people with sight loss.

• Participants described the telephone group environment as "liberating."

• After one year of participation in a telephone group, 50 per cent of participants found their telephone group to be a more rewarding experience than face to face social contact.

Downloads:

• RNIB tele befriending service (Word, 245 KB)