Now, more than ever, our communities need to work together

The pandemic in particular showed the importance of local people supporting each other at a difficult time; finding out neighbours’ needs, who needed help and rallying around to support each other.

When people come towards the end of their life, serious illness or frailty can mean people become socially isolated. They are often no longer easily able to take part in normal daily activities without lots of support. Friends and family can retreat from them too, worried about doing or saying the wrong thing. This is where Compassionate Neighbours can help.

Compassionate Neighbours are local people who provide friendship, social and emotional support to people towards the end of life due to age or illness. They may also share their knowledge and experiences of the hospice, end of life, death, dying and loss within their community and provoke local engagement with these issues.

Now, more than ever, our communities need to work together

The pandemic in particular showed the importance of local people supporting each other at a difficult time…

The pandemic in particular showed the importance of local people supporting each other at a difficult time; finding out neighbours’ needs, who needed help and rallying around to support each other. When people come towards the end of their life, serious illness or frailty can mean people become socially isolated.

How we do it

Compassionate Neighbours visit their community member regularly (about once a week).

Compassionate Neighbours visit their community member regularly (about once a week). They offer friendship, emotional support and a listening ear and help their community member to do the things they like doing. They help their community member to stay connected to the community.

Our network of hospices

The role of hospices is to support and enable people to become Compassionate Neighbours in their community.

The role of hospices is to support and enable people to become Compassionate Neighbours in their community. We help local people use their existing skills and life experience to provide social and emotional support to people in their community, helping them live life to the full for as long as they can.