Mrs T is one of the many people who benefit from the valuable support services that our charity, Cotswold Friends, offers. As a full-time carer for her husband, digital challenges can often add to her stress levels. Thankfully, with the help of one of our Digital Champion volunteers, we were able to make a positive difference in her life.

Following a successful fundraising campaign, our Digital Inclusion project was launched, and this important service is now available to give support and a helping hand to our clients with digital tasks. Before developing dementia, reading had been one of the activities that Mrs. T’s husband enjoyed. However, it became a daunting task for him, making it hard for him to focus on a book for an extended period. Mrs. T thought of using technology to make reading easier and more accessible for her husband, and after hearing that a Kindle was a useful device for audiobooks, Mrs T purchased one with great anticipation! Unfortunately, she could not sync the headphones with the device, making it impossible to use the Kindle for its purpose.

This is where our superstar Digital Champion volunteer came in. They visited Mrs. T and her husband at their home address and after assessing the situation, were also able to sync their wireless headphones with the Kindle so that her husband could enjoy listening to books, without being distracted by outside noise.

At Cotswold Friends, our vision is that no older or vulnerable person should be lonely or isolated, and our Digital Inclusion project is another way we can support individuals in the Cotswolds. Through this project, we hope to lessen the digital divide and connect individuals to their loved ones and their wider community.

For more information, contact Will Hunt, Marketing Co-ordinator, email [email protected].