Befriending
What a befriender can and cannot do
What befrienders can do and what they can’t.
Befrienders can
- meet weekly to listen, talk and just be with their befriending partner. Social and emotional support is often what is needed most
- accompany the befriended person on hospital visits or other trips
- provide a link with local health and social services and help research other sources of help and advice
- provide a much-needed break for carers and relatives while visiting their befriending partner
Befrienders will always respect the confidentiality of their befriending partner.
Befrienders cannot
- replace nurses, home helps or social workers
- give injections or other medical treatments
- evangelise about their own beliefs
- benefit financially from a befriending relationship
