Sophie Andrews
IN A NUTSHELL
The power of hotlines transformed Sophie Andrews from a teenager in crisis to a children’s crisis volunteer to an adult who leads a help line service for the UK’s isolated seniors. She shares the importance of human connection as a social determinant of health.
ABOUT SOPHIE
Sophie Andrews is the CEO of The Silver Line, a 24-hour phone line that provides social connectivity for isolated senior citizens in the UK and receives approximately 1,500 calls per day. Sophie’s harrowing childhood experiences, documented in her 2009 autobiography, Scarred, inspired her to become a local volunteer for the suicide prevention line Samaritans over 25 years ago, and she later served as the organization's national chairman for 3 years. Sophie makes regular appearances as a motivational speaker before a variety of audiences, giving talks about her life experiences and the importance of charity work.
LEARN MORE
Sophie Andrews on the TEDMED Blog
Tackling Loneliness Case Study: The Silver Line, 2014
Scarred, 2008
