Volunteering

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Volunteer Focus

Each year over a fantastic 1000 volunteers assist Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland deliver our services and raise funds within the communities of Scotland. Volunteers provide enormous help to the organisation and there are many opportunities for volunteers in your area.

Heart failure / COPD support service: new volunteer role in Glasgow

Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland is seeking volunteers to help run a new service in South Glasgow. The charity's pioneering new service will help people living in the community to overcome the social impact of heart failure and will also offer support to those living with chronic respiratory illness.

Local Coordinator for the service, Debra Ibbitson, said: "We've been running a highly successful Heart Failure Support Service in Lothian and Lanarkshire where, apart from the personal day to day benefits it has had for clients, it may have contributed to lower heart failure hospital admissions. I am delighted that we are now able to offer the same service to the people of South Glasgow and for the first time combine it with support for those living with COPD."

COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, affects more than three million people and is the third biggest cause of respiratory death, and the fifth biggest killer overall, in the UK. A recent report showed that Scotland has the highest incidence of diagnosed COPD in Britain. The condition causes extreme breathlessness and severely restricts quality of life for those affected.

Breathlessness is also one of the key symptoms of heart failure, along with feelings of anxiety and social isolation. The aim of the new service, offered by CHSS in partnership with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, is to offer support, companionship and information to people affected by either of these illnesses in order to improve their quality of life.

Clients are matched with a volunteer who visits on a regular basis and helps them to recover their confidence and regain some independence. Volunteers may, for example, help clients to take part in social outings, attend community or church groups or provide relief for carers.

Full training is provided and all expenses are reimbursed. Debra believes the new Glasgow service will benefit everyone involved: "Volunteering is extremely rewarding and worthwhile and our volunteers speak very highly of the benefits they derive from sharing their time. I'm really looking forward to meeting local people who want to help make a difference to people's lives." If you would like to volunteer, or to find out more, please visit the Heart Failure And COPD Volunteer page.

" I don't have much contact with people in my job so I love being with my client and feel like I'm really doing something for somebody".

"I've been visiting my client for three years now and I still look forward to our Wednesday mornings together. She's a hoot!"

"My client hardly speaks to a soul from one end of the week to the other so he's often a bit down when I first go in. I can always get him to laugh before I leave, though!"