It’s always possible that someone will not want to answer a question, or find a particular question difficult to answer. Everyone is free to choose not to answer questions without giving a reason why. If they don’t want to answer any of the questions, that’s okay. Thank them for their time and end the call.

If someone knows they’re experiencing hearing loss, they may tell you that at the start of the call; ask if they’re happy to continue and how you can help them. If there is any background noise where you are, for instance, that can make things more difficult.

Someone with hearing loss might ask you to speak more slowly, but slowing down without having been asked can make the other person feel patronised. It’s best to let them decide if and how to continue the call, and arrange to call back another time if they’d prefer that.

If someone misses a word here and there, please be patient and repeat things for them if they ask you to. Hearing Link advises callers to make sure you give people time to process what you’ve said. This helps people not to feel rushed, too, so don’t panic if there’s a brief silence after you ask each question.

If someone can hear you but is struggling to understand a question, ask them if there is something particular they’re not sure about. It’s best not to re-word the questions, but you can sometimes offer a bit more explanation.

For instance, “companionship” will mean different things to different people, but if someone says they don’t know what the question means at all, a general definition – “having someone to spend time with” – could help.

Although the questions each ask about a different aspect of someone’s feelings, they are closely related; it’s possible that someone might struggle to see enough of a difference between two questions.

When the ONS tested the questions, they found that people understood “feeling left out” as feeling excluded (from peer groups, local communities, family, society) and “feeling isolated from others” as feeling or being alone, but for some people these things might sound or feel the same.

It’s important for people to answer on their own terms; give them time to think/talk it through and accept their answer (or their decision not to answer) without judgment.

If this happens, be patient. Repeat the options if you’re asked to, and break things down if it helps. For example, if you’ve asked a question about their social relationships, you could explain that there are options for agreeing and options for disagreeing. Once they’ve said which applies to them, you can find out if they ‘tend to agree’ or ‘definitely agree’.

If someone is finding it difficult to choose – for instance, choosing a number between 0 and 10 on the wellbeing questions – be patient. It can be tempting to try to help by suggesting a number that you think suits how they seem or what they’ve said, but it’s important that the answer comes from them.

Give them time to think about it. Being hurried can make answering more stressful and people may be less likely to give an answer that accurately reflects their feelings.

Equally, if after some time and thought someone says they don’t have an answer, let them know that’s fine, and move on.

Even when you set out the options on a multiple-choice question, there may still be times when someone responds with a narrative answer. If that happens, please listen rather than stopping them or telling them that’s not what you asked for. When you can speak without interrupting them, acknowledge what they’ve told you but don’t try to use it to interpret their answer choice. Instead, draw their attention back to the survey by asking something like, “So thinking about a scale from 0 to 10, where would you say you are…”

ONS testing showed that people were generally happy to answer these questions, and research has found that most people do not find it distressing to participate in surveys on sensitive topics.

A key principle of safeguarding is empowerment; the introductions to each set of questions are there to enable older people to make their own decision about continuing with the survey, knowing they are free to say no for any reason.

Nonetheless, there may be times when the person you are speaking to chooses to respond to the questions but later becomes upset.

If you think someone is getting upset

If you think you can hear someone getting upset (for example, if they start sniffing a lot, or their voice sounds unsteady), take a pause and ask if they’re OK. If they say they’re finding the conversation difficult, ask if they’d like to take a break. Let them know that they don’t need to continue with the questionnaire if they’d prefer not to.

If you know someone is upset

If someone becomes upset without warning, your instinct is likely to be to respond sympathetically, but this can mean you end up on a long phone call that you are not best qualified to deal with. We do not expect you to counsel someone in distress. We encourage you to be empathetic, but also - at the appropriate moment - to remind yourself and the person you’re speaking to of the limits of your role.

This can be something like stopping and saying: “It sounds like you’re struggling at the moment. Would you prefer not to continue with these questions?” or “It sounds like things are difficult right now. Are you OK to continue or shall we stop?” (These are just examples; you can phrase things in a way you feel comfortable with in that particular situation.)

This gives the person you’re calling the chance to think again about why you’re calling them and whether they want to continue. If they say they’d prefer to end the call, let them know that that is fine.

Concerns about an older person who is upset

Researchers have found that when people do get upset speaking about sensitive topics, they tend not to stay upset once they stop talking about it - especially if they think it is something worth talking about.

However, if you feel it’s needed, in our volunteer FAQs, you can find information about providing older people with details of other services that offer support. This includes a list of links to national services such as Cruse Bereavement.

Many support lines are not staffed during evenings and weekends, however. If you are speaking to someone during the evening or a weekend and they would like to seek further support straight away:

• The Silver Line helpline is open to older people 24/7 on 0800 470 8090
• Age UK’s advice line is open 8am-7pm every day on 0800 678 1602

You should not offer to contact other services on someone’s behalf, or pass their details on. Instead, give the details of these services to the person you’re speaking to.

If you are concerned about their wellbeing at this stage, you should follow our safeguarding procedures.