Joan and Margaret

Joan was referred to The Bureau for Community Navigation and befriending support. She was matched with befriender Margaret, and they have been in touch for the past few years.

Joan had been generally coping well during the pandemic, with calls from Margaret and regular visits from her family whenever this was permitted. In February 2021, Margaret flagged that Joan had reported that she was feeling depressed, and this was very out of character for her as she has always seemed to be coping well.

Joan had recently been having problems with her health and waiting for the results of some tests was causing her a lot of anxiety. Although Joan was still receiving regular visits from her family, she didn’t feel that she could talk to family about the emotions she was experiencing, and so she felt very alone with this problem.

Due to the concerns raised by Margaret, and swift intervention from the Community Navigation team at The Bureau, Joan was able to speak openly about how she was feeling and receive support to help her manage this change in her mental health.

Joan reported that being able to speak to Margaret and the Community Navigator was enough for her to reduce her anxiety and improve her mood. This resulted in her not feeling the need for any counselling, knowing that she had people to turn to when she didn’t want to worry her close family and friends.

Following a card she received from Margaret for her birthday, Joan stated that her befriending relationship is so lovely, and she looks forward to it – the words and comments in the card meant a lot to her and she would treasure the card. Joan also wished to say a special thank you to everyone at The Bureau and said that we provide a wonderful service.