Liz Forbat

"The University of Stirling has published an impact report of Strathcarron Hospice's compassionate communities project."
"Background and rationale
 Compassionate neighbours and people with long term conditions are matched by Strathcarron
hospice.
 This report summarises an evaluation of the service, from the perspective of the compassionate
neighbour, the person with the long term condition and informal carer.
Methods
 Two focus groups (with a total of 14 compassionate neighbours) and interviews with five people
with long term conditions and two informal carers, were conducted between January and June
2020.
Findings
 Compassionate neighbours had a positive impact on increasing social contact and reducing
loneliness.
 While compassionate neighbours tended to have busy and varied social lives, the support
networks of people with long term conditions seemed to consist of mostly family, very close
friends and health professionals.
 The range and type of contact between compassionate neighbour and person with long term
condition appeared to be tailored to shared interests; the matching process works well.
 New connections beyond the one-to-one relationship had not developed, so more extended and
dense social networks had not materialised.
Conclusion
 Despite the small sample size, the data clearly demonstrate that the programme is enjoyed by
both compassionate neighbours and people with long term conditions.
 ‘Living Right to the End’ successfully meets the needs of community members who are lonely.
Increasing the reach and impact of compassionate neighbours could be enhanced by
encouraging the development of wider and denser networks, beyond the one-to-one
relationship. "… (mehr)