Categories

Hobbies and interests, Socialising, companionship and friendship, Work or volunteering,

BuddyHub creates truly social networks of like-minded new friends for older people. These new connections improve their quality of life and sense of well-being by tackling loneliness and isolation head on.

We call these new social networks ‘Friendship Wheels’: the older person at the centre is carefully matched with three like-minded Buddies based on their interests, skills and experiences. BuddyHub spreads happiness, friendship and a sense of community that benefits all involved.

BuddyHub is innovating befriending (a planned 1:1 friendship) which is the traditional response to loneliness amongst older people. An older person is instead matched with three new Buddies to create a face-to-face social network called a ‘Friendship Wheel’. The network effect is amplified as the older person is joining the BuddyHub community. We are removing the barriers to befriending for Buddies – time intensity, inflexibility, dependency – which is crucial given the scale of the problem.

Last Updated: 16th May, 2017