Question
evaluate the silver line organisation
Answer
Born out of need, The Silver Line organisation is a confidential telephone helpline for the elderly in the UK (Wilcox, 2014). Founded in 2012, The Silver Line organisation was established by Esther Rantzen in order to cope with the loneliness suffered by her when her husband died. Silver Line (2016a) states that the life expectancy of individuals in the UK has increased by over 12 years over the past decade hence highlighting an ageing society. This goes on to suggest that with an ageing society the need for consumption of a help-line bespoke to elderly is a need rather than a want. Over the past 3 years, The Silver Line Organisation has answered over 1 million calls, with a trend of most calls answered on New Year’s Eve, indicating an adaptive trend towards the service (Silver Line, 2016b). One of the key reasons linked with the Silver Line’s success is the fact that it solves a real world problem by developing a community based solution. Wilcox (2014) states that 53% of the callers who call Silver Line have no one else to talk to, indicating a real need and a clear demand for the service in the community. This therefore essentially marks tthe success of a service, one that is poised to grow further in coming years.
References
Silver Line (2016a) https://www.thesilverline.org.uk/what-we-do/
Silver Line (2016b) https://www.thesilverline.org.uk/who-we-are/
Wilcox, M. (2014 ) The Silver Line Helpline: a “ChildLine” for older people, Working with Older People, Vol. 18 Iss: 4, pp.197 – 204
