ALMOST 5,000 home visits have been carried out as part of a £100,000-a-year project to reduce loneliness and isolation among the elderly population.
The figures, which relate to the period from April 2017 to September 2019, were discussed at a Central Area Council meeting at Barnsley Town Hall on Monday afternoon.
Run by the Royal Voluntary Service (RVS) on the area council’s behalf, it is designed to help older people by encouraging them to access social activities in their communities.
The service met and exceeded its targets in two of the categories addressed in the report.
According to a report, 97 per cent of older people have reported an improvement in their health and well-being as a result of the interventions and a total of 4,989 home visits have been made.
The report also addressed that 251 people had received one-to-one advice from the service.
It was addressed that the number of adults and older people receiving an initial assessment did not meet its initial target. A target of 1,093 people was set with 619 achieved, however councillors were happy with the progress made.
Carol Brady, the Central Area Council manager, said that these figures were ‘positive’ and that targets were met in ‘most cases’.
