Our Current Work

It is the social side of being elderly that NBFA is particularly focused on and why our Break-Away programme continues to grow. With old age often comes mobility problems which, when coupled with financial restraints, make it difficult to remain socially active. Remaining indoors day in, day out causes social isolation and a loss of confidence. Making a trip out, even to the shops, becomes a huge task and many people opt to remain inside, venturing out only when entirely necessary.

Figures show that 1 in 4 of those over 65 in the UK suffer from depression which can often go unnoticed in older people, particularly those in isolation. Nearly 600,000 older people leave their house once a week or less. Providing the opportunity for those who do not have the money or confidence to go away alone is a very important part of NBFA's social policy. Breaks-Away help tackle the issues of loneliness, marginalisation and isolation, breaking an individual's routine that may have become repetitive, colourless and depressing.

Alongside the Breaks-Away, NBFA now offers two other major services, providing Pain Relief Machines and Emergency Telephone Alarms to beneficiaries who would otherwise be unable to afford them. Pain relief units hold the key to giving elderly people physical independence and freedom from relentless pain, helping them to live fuller, more active lives. Emergency Telephone Alarms can help to maintain independence and create a more peaceful, secure life.

Both services also help to ease the worry of families, so the benefits are spread beyond the immediate recipients.

The NBFA is dependent for support on our generous benefactors and donors for fundraising and on volunteers to help provide our services.