How can Signposters help?

Maybe you’ve found yourself in this kind of situation: sitting in a waiting room, you strike up a conversation with the person next to you. In this case, the person was an older woman who lived in the Atawhai neighbourhood, sharing how few services were available to her as a senior and how lonely and isolated she felt living there. 

For the person listening, this was a concerning report to hear, and while she couldn’t name any specific services off the top of her head, Lisa (name has been changed) suspected there were likely some relevant services available. Lisa definitely heard the need being expressed and really wanted to offer assistance, but wasn’t sure how she could help. 

Enter Wellby: this is exactly the type of opportunity that the new community Signposters will be well-equipped to respond to. Community Signposters are not formal volunteers or paid staff; they are empowered citizens who have the knowledge and tools to help community members connect with groups and services. 

Signposters signpost their friends, family members, colleagues, neighbours and others they encounter in the community to what’s out there and where to find help. That could mean using the Found Directory to search for groups and organisations, suggesting someone attend a local Talking Café, or just being someone who can listen fully.

Now imagine Lisa in this same situation after having attended Wellby’s Signposter training: she was able to use her phone to find several listings in the Found Directory for interesting groups located near the Atawhai neighbourhood. She wrote the details of these groups onto a Wellby card (she keeps a supply in her handbag) to give to the older woman to follow up on herself. She also encouraged the woman to attend one of the local Talking Cafés to meet other people and connect with her community.

Sometimes the best people to pass on information about support aren’t necessarily the professionals.