Tuesday Teas – a community meet up to facilitate shared company in the evenings

Description

Tuesday teas was the idea of a widow who found the evenings brought a sense of aloneness. There’s a variety of activities that can be accessed throughout the day but little avenue to just share company, especially in the evening. We welcome members of our community of all ages & there’s always a facilitator to greet participants & introduce the group to one another. It has been an invaluable service to those who have lost a spouse & feel nervous to join in social occasions alone. The disbandment of the national widow’s association is a loss felt heavily by community members who had a spouse by their side for 30+ years & are left lost to meet people in similar circumstances that need company & social interactions. Similarly we have participants whose spouse has entered nursing home facilities. They feel the loss of a daily caring routine & the company of their partner. We aim to bring our community members in need of this support & company together in a safe & warm environment to meet like minded companions & talk about what’s important to them. We meet at the hotel, order teas & coffees & chat. The facilitators ensure smooth, enjoyable conversations inclusive to everyone.

Aim of Initiative

Social inclusion

Provide opportunities to engage in meaningful social interactions particularly aimed at the elderly community living alone

Facilitate the gathering & meeting of like minded people to meet new friends with understanding of their life circumstances

Show our community members we value & care for them & their needs

One of our participants passed away at the end of last year & it was an extreme pleasure that they enjoyed companionship, shared many of their life stories & were welcomed to share their anxieties through Tuesday Teas.

Who is it aimed at

People living alone – primary target group
Widows & widowers
Elderly community

3 Steps critical to success

1. Increase advertising campaigns- the area used can comfortably cater for 20-30 participants especially as there are 3 partner organisations to act as facilitators. A minimum number of 5 is needed for participants to feel valued & part of a meaningful group. Our average so far throughout has been 5. Min no (in start out sessions) was 2 & max 11. Target advertising through health services is underway
2. Provision of transport for interested participants living within Ballina town to help them access the meet ups
3. Encourage attendees to take on spokespersons roles – promote the meet ups / learn facilitation skills to aid in sustainability (allow for possible reduction to one service facilitator accompanied by a group member facilitator)

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. Sustainability- this is designed to be a low cost project to increase sustainability. Over time costs should reduce as advertising needs will lessen as the project grows in numbers & awareness. In the interim to gain numbers to ensure the project’s sustainability we need good advertising via local papers & radio
2. Maintaining interest – over a year we aim to run 6 meet ups. In order to maintain interest it is important to include a little variety – eg plans for occasional afternoon teas & aiming to work toward minimum attendance of 10 per meet up
3. Venue – we are lucky to be supported by a caring business that values their community & the Manor hotel offers us excellent support. Though we can never guarantee numbers they always try to have at least one additional member of staff on duty when we’re in to ensure participants are looked after with the same high quality service as hotel residents. In terms of meeting the venue half way on this it would be a great asset to be able to pay a small charge for our meet ups to help cover the venues costs & ensure we continue working well as partners

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. Reduce feelings of loneliness & isolation in the target participants
2. Increase participants levels of participation in social activities outside of the meet ups
3. Create a safe space for new friendships to grow