Loneliness Training for Staff and Volunteers Working with Older People

Northern Regional College has delivered a series of free training programmes in advance of Loneliness Awareness Week (June 12 -18) for Belfast Health and Social Care staff and volunteers who engage with older people.

The training, which was developed by Dr Karen McCambridge, Health and Social Care Curriculum Area Manager at Northern Regional College, was offered to both Trust staff and volunteers in both healthcare and non-healthcare roles during May.

Dr McCambridge said the programmes, which were both timely and well received, were developed in response to requests from the Trust for more training in this specific area.

“Staff and volunteers working with older people felt they needed to learn more about the impact of loneliness. Loneliness isn’t always obvious but even a simple gesture, such as smiling at someone can create a connection and a big difference to that person’s day. The College’s pilot programmes were designed to help raise awareness about the importance of social connections. “

Kerri McCarry, Health Improvement Practitioner-Older, Active and Connected Programme Co-ordinator with the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, said a training needs analysis conducted among staff and volunteers identified a need for a greater understanding of how to manage the impact of loneliness on older people.

She continued:

“We offered two interactive training programmes, an introductory course and a Level 2 course, to create a greater awareness and understanding around loneliness.

“The introductory course considered what is meant by loneliness and social isolation; why it is important to address loneliness; the common causes of loneliness, including triggers and effects and where to find support to prevent and address loneliness.

“These themes were further developed during the Level 2 course which also considered different strategies to prevent and address loneliness.”

The programmes were delivered through ‘blended’ learning, giving participants the option of doing the training either face to face in class or online. Face-to-face training was delivered in White City Community Centre, North Queen Street Community Centre, Inverary Community Centre, Avoniel Leisure Centre and Girdwood Community Hub. 

Marie Donaghy, Business Engagement Officer with Northern Regional College explained that the College’s Business Engagement team can help businesses and organisations in the public, private and community sectors access support for knowledge transfer, skills transfer and technology transfer programmes.

“In addition to our advertised courses, we also offer bespoke training programmes tailored to meet a specific training need – like we did for the Belfast Trust – and the training can be delivered in house, online or through blended learning, which is a combination of both. 

“We understand that all businesses need to innovate and grow, and we can work with them to identify funding for training so they can develop new ways of working smarter while maximising their budgets.”

The project was funded by Health and Social Care Trust in partnership with Public Health Agency, Belfast City Council and delivered by Northern Regional College.