Totnes Caring provides a wide range of services:
- Transport
- Befriending
- Sitting
- Shopping
- Form Filling
- 3 Luncheon Clubs (Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday)
- Bereavement Counselling
- Prescription Collection
- Just Plain Listening!
- Home Help (for a fee of £12 per hour)
- Emergency Life Line
Totnes Caring has its’ own specially adapted minibus for transporting clients to the Co-op for shopping on a Monday and to our lunch clubs.
Our Mini-bus was funded by donations from Forder Lane House; Pleiades Lodge, Dartington Hall Trust Retired Employees Association; the Townswomen’s Guild, Totnes Hospital League of Friends, the Mitchell Trust and Totnes Rotary.
Our volunteers use their own cars to transport clients to hospitals, surgeries, dentists, opticians, day care, shopping etc.
Befriending
Visiting clients is at the discretion of client and volunteer. Some visits occur weekly, if that is what is required, or just a trip out together occasionally. Maybe someone just wants a cup of tea and a chat; a game of chess; or a walk in the countryside. Whatever suits both client and volunteer.
Shopping
Shopping is a combination of minibus trips, volunteers accompanying a client or lists for volunteers/Home Helps to collect for clients. There are also one-off trips – for example, stocking up on basic foods following discharge from hospital.
Lunch clubs
We transport clients to lunch clubs 3 days a week on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday.These are held at Totnes Community Hospital from 12.30 p.m. to 2.00 p.m.
Lifeline – Call 24
Lifeline installed at short notice for up to 6 weeks on discharge from hospital or if client is at risk
Home Help service
Our Home Help service is the only service which we charge for at a rate of £12 per hour – to cover the costs of the Home Help staff – and home-helps now help with laundry, housework, shopping and bill paying.
Liz Dommett is the Home Help Co-Ordinator and her responsibility is managing the Home Help Service matching clients and home-help staff together. The service is subject to an assessment by Liz as to the needs of the client and it is available to anybody.
Form filling
We have volunteers who are trained to help clients complete benefit forms .
COMMUNITY SUPPORT
Throughout the year we transport many of our clients – en masse – to specific outings. Our most popular are the KEVICC Christmas Party which is a fantastic event organised and run by staff and students at KEVICC. They make the large hall look wonderfully festive and provide a buffet lunch. Entertainment is provided by students in the form of music, singing and dancing. It is a wonderful event ensuring the younger members of the community support and enjoy the company of the older members of the community. Our wholehearted thanks go to all students and staff for the yearly event.
Another community event is the Flu Jab Clinics held on October at Leatside Surgery. After their jabs we provide everyone with a hot or cold drink and biscuit. More importantly, it’s a chance for everyone to meet up and have a chat over a cuppa. It’s a very friendly and happy event. We sell our charity Christmas cards there every year.
