A new telephone scheme to help older people do their shopping is to be launched in Bristol.
They will be able to give their shopping list over the telephone to a volunteer worker from Age Concern Bristol who will then place it with a supermarket through the internet.
The project, to be introduced later this month, follows the success of the Companion Shopping Scheme which is already being used by about 50 people in the city.
They make their shopping list by scanning bar codes in a catalogue and sending the order electronically from their own home to Bristol-based Somerfield supermarket.
Both schemes are only available to those living within the Bristol City Council boundary.
They are being operated by Age Concern Bristol but are funded by the Dolphin Society, one of Bristol’s oldest charities. It was formed in 1749, in memory of the philanthropist Edward Colston, to support older people to live safely and independently at home.
“We still have the capacity for more people to use the Companions. There are nine machines available, either for use by individuals in their own home or in sheltered accommodation, where it would be configured for multiple users.
“With the Telephone Shopping Scheme, it is expected that users will be able to choose from four major supermarkets” said Pete Davis, Scheme Co-ordinator for Age Concern.
He said that each user will be given an internet shopping account with the supermarket of their choice, but will not require access to a computer themselves.
Users will need to have a bank account and a debit or credit chard with which their online account with the supermarket can be paid automatically. The store will deliver the order direct to the person’s home.
The Companion, a simplified laptop computer which does not require any computer skills has been running in Bristol for several years. It was devised by Emeritus Professor Heinz Wolff of Brunel University who replaced the keyboard and mouse with a bar code scanner.
Pete Davis can be contacted at Age Concern Bristol 0117 928 1549.
Article written by Maurice Fells.