Older Calls

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Following the recruitment of additional volunteers, Age UK Cheshire East’s telephone befriending program is hoping to extend its calls to older people.

Keep in Touch was created in response to the acute need for companionship among many solitary and lonely older people when the epidemic initially hit hard in March of last year. Since then, the program has assisted over 140 elderly persons, who get weekly calls from one of our cheerful volunteers.

Because of the service’s amazing performance and usefulness, a waiting list had formed, implying that fresh volunteers were sorely needed to match that demand. Following an ongoing recruiting push, the charity is now able to make additional calls to older individuals in need of extra assistance during these trying times.

Since its inception, the program, which is now financially funded by the Charities Aid Foundation, has proven beneficial to elderly people who have felt alone and lonely as a result of the frequent lockdowns and limitations imposed over the previous year. Those who have received the calls have expressed their gratitude for the great influence it has made on their lives over the previous year. Among the comments are the following:

Exceptionally creative – My volunteer has given me a lot of encouragement and made me feel so much better – What a gorgeous person she is.

The days are long and lonely, and I look forward to the phone call since it has helped me so much.

It’s something to look forward to – if I had nothing to look forward to, I’d be unhappy – and it’s nice to know someone will call.

When we’re done chatting, I’m on a high and feel so much better!

Along with the older individuals who receive the calls, the volunteers who make the calls gain a great deal of satisfaction, especially knowing how much of a difference they are making in the lives of the persons they call.

One of Keep in Touch’s volunteers, Miriam, from Prestbury, says of one of her visits to an elderly lady each week “she is usually extremely thrilled when I call and recalls who I am as soon as I say ‘Hi’. She has now taken on the role of a grandmother to me. She is usually full of insightful comments and eager to share her life tales and experiences with me.” Miriam is also pursuing a Masters degree in Gerontology, so the calls provide her with useful information to supplement her studies…

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