Rising up to meet the need

Based in the London Borough of Wandsworth, Regenerate-RISE is a charity seeking to share Jesus’ love and transform the lives of isolated older people. Recently, they’ve launched RISE+, an initiative to help tackle the issue of bed blocking in hospitals. Founder and chair of trustees Mo Smith tells us more

Regenerate was founded in 2000 by my son and I as a response to the need for a lunch club for older people in a deprived area of Roehampton in the London Borough of Wandsworth. We worked for the Shaftesbury Society and had rescued a failing day centre. When we approached the council with our idea for a lunch club, they were thrilled at our proposal and took up our offer, also asking us to provide youth and community support on the deprived Alton Estate, paving the way for intergenerational links.

Around this time, the local primary care trust (PCT) carried out a participatory needs assessment of the area and concluded that the greatest need was the isolation of older people. As a result, we were offered a grant to initiate RISE (Reaching the ISolated Elderly). In 2005 Regenerate divided into two organisations, Regenerate focusing on youth, and a new charity called Regenerate-RIS, initiated by me, focussing on older people but keeping the intergenerational aspect high on the agenda.

Guided by Christ

We very much believe in sharing the love and compassion of Jesus by reaching out to those in our communities who often feel abandoned by family and society as a whole. We have fed the hungry, visited the sick and provided a family for the isolated and lonely and we have been very privileged to see many unchurched older people come to Christ. We have spoken at many funerals and, even when the numbers in the congregation consist of our staff and members only, the joy of knowing that the person is now in Heaven is absolutely amazing. Our underpinning ethos is to serve older people by providing the same love and compassion that Jesus would show if He was in our town today.

Launching RISE+

Bed blocking, where people are ready to leave hospital but can’t because social services are struggling to put adequate packages of care in place, has become a huge issue. In response to this, we applied for funding from our local Integrated Care Board (ICB) and launched our RISE+ project. As part of a three-month pilot, our staff members have visited patients on the Senior Health Wards of two London hospitals, St George’s and Queen Mary’s, befriending them before discharge and continuing a full range of support when they are at home. This has included practical tasks to make discharge possible such as moving beds in preparation for hospital beds, purchasing heaters and microwaves, providing sufficient food in the fridge and ensuring patients can keep warm with a dressing gown.

Looking ahead

To further tackle the issue of bed blocking, we have the vision to build a residential unit for patients on discharge from hospital above The Platt Mission, our charity’s building in Putney. This ‘reablement centre’ will be a stepping stone to independence for older people, providing a programme of support, care and social interaction. We aim to fundraise the £3m needed to provide a 12-bed residential unit and would very much value your prayerful support in this.

Our aim has always been to support older people from the point of contact until the end of their lives believing that, despite disabilities and the aging process, life can be lived to the full. Our reputation is built on our passion to make a difference through the provision of an excellent standard of care. We are creative with our ideas in meeting the needs of each individual and believe that we need to change constantly to meet the ever-increasing multiple complex needs of older people today.

Keeping Christ central

On my filing cabinet, I have a photo of the high rise blocks of Roehampton and written across the photo are these words: “These are not days to have a small view of God or to have a small view of what you can do in God, but these are days to keep your eyes upon your mighty God, a God who can do the impossible”. We have known this to be true through all the ups and downs and it is our prayer that Christians will rise up and be the change in our society that is so desperately needed. We need to be an influence for good and work alongside social services and health professionals to ensure that love, compassion and integrity remain at the heart of all that we do.

Help during the pandemic

Regenerate-RISE was added to Wandsworth Borough Council’s Roll of Honour in recognition of the significant contribution it made during the pandemic. In 2020/21 the total number of 37,250 individual responses provided by the organisation included:

• Savoy on the Streets – a self-distancing tea for two in the garden
• Expressions of Kindness – everything from flowers, chocolates, homemade cakes, Easter eggs, Christmas hampers and presents
• Entertainment in the car parks of sheltered housing units
• Lunches delivered to homes
• Food hampers
• Companionship phone calls
• Bingo by phone

Prayer Points:

• For the RISE+ project as it enters its next phase
• That the Lord would meet financial needs, especially given the impact of inflation
• That difficulties with recruitment would be addressed
• For the team as they raise funds and plan for the new Reablement Centre at The Platt Mission