How Does It Work?
How Mentors Make a Difference
Community mapping: Liaising with community organisations, local services and health and social care professionals. Providing information to participants.
Identification: Identifying early those people who are at risk of losing their independence or who need support to regain their confidence and abilities – with a special focus on the most isolated and those from minority ethnic groups.
Overcoming barriers: Supporting people to identify and overcome physical, psychological and social barriers in a sensitive and timely way.
Engagement / Inclusion: Signposting people to become involved in community activities or groups initiated by mentors, which are tailored to participants’ health and social needs, personal interests and aspirations.
Information: Ensuring participants have access to the information they need in order to make positive decisions in their lives and have help in interpreting that information if required.
Therapeutic Group Work: Reducing stress and anxiety in a supportive environment where shared learning and experiences can identify strategies to overcome the barriers people face.
Positive context: Building self-confidence and self-motivation so people can thrive and make their own decisions about the future, through meaningful and stimulating activities and social contact.
Sustainability: Encouraging people to maintain social and stimulating activities to improve their quality of life following the initial service. Helping them to maintain activities, start new ones, consider health and safety, and apply for small grants.
Community follow-up: Helping people maintain good health and well-being by encouraging community organisations to work in similar ways, and by keeping in touch with people to support them again if needed.
Partnership: Liaising with health and social care, and other public, private and voluntary services to respond to the expressed needs of individuals and to promote timely and relevant support.
Consultations: Being involved in local consultations alongside activities that increase people’s opportunities to influence change.
Co-operation: Raising people’s self-esteem and a sense of belonging and community involvement through working with others on quality creative projects.
Crossing generations: Engendering mutual respect, reducing fears and increasing a sense of community safety by encouraging all ages to work together in practical activities.
Health training: Encouraging the exchange of experience between people in their own social groups to help people understand health and well-being issues and self-care.
