As a friend to a lonely person

Loneliness can be experienced by young people, adults and the elderly, regardless of age, gender or cultural background. Loneliness can be caused by, for example, distance from family or a changed life situation. Forming friendships can be difficult for many different reasons. The volunteers of the Red Cross's Friend activities bring joy to the everyday lives of lonely people.

A volunteer friend visits a lonely person, such as an elderly person, someone who is ill, a person with a disability, an immigrant, a person rehabilitating from mental illness, a prisoner or another person in need of support, regularly, for example twice a month. They act as a listener and a source of emotional support. The volunteer friend can also read the daily newspaper or discuss topics of mutual interest. Together they can also go for walks, visit the library and do a variety of other activities that interest them both.

A volunteer friend can also be of assistance with one-off tasks, such as accompanying someone to a health centre appointment or helping out on shopping trips.

How to get involved

The Friend activities suit everyone aged 18 and over who want to help and support those around them in various life situations. No special skills are required. It is hoped that those who take on the role of volunteer friend are in a stable situation in their own lives. You can join as a volunteer friend by contacting the friend activities, immigration work or carer support contact person at your local Red Cross branch, or the person responsible at your district office. You can find the contact details for branches and districts here.

To become a volunteer friend, you need to attend a course on friend activities. Upcoming courses on friend activities can be browsed in the Event Calendar using the search term "friend". You can also ask about upcoming courses on friend activities directly from the person responsible for Friend activities at your branch or district office.