Sunday, June 14, 2009

Contact the Elderly

Its very easy for elderly people to become very lonely. As we grow old, our circle of friends contracts, and can eventually amount to no more than one or two people - who then die. Its wise for older people to stay in touch with several friends, and try to get out to coffee mornings, etc. while its possible. This afternoon a small group of elderly people visited our garden on an organised trip. Some could not walk very far, and brought along their own flasks of tea and cakes. There were one-to-one able bodied along as well to help. The visit was arranged by an organisation called 'Contact the Elderly'. Have to admit that I don't know much about how this body is funded, or whether its wholly or partly voluntary - but it seems a great idea. Must find out more.

1 comment:

'US Correspondent' said...

Glyn> Your post ‘moved me’.

My retired mother attended a reunion of retired staff that worked with my mother in the Principality Building Society offices on Queen Street, Cardiff.

The event, held in the Marriot near Cardiff's new downtown library, was held in honour of my mother – it was the first time in over five years that my mother had managed to get back to Wales.

Within just five weeks of the reunion, one of the ladies, who I met for the first time at mum's reunion event, died; she had terminal cancer. Her daughter just sent my mother a lovely letter explaining how much her mother enjoyed the event. The lady who died put up photographs of the event around her hospice room and later returned to her Welsh home to spend her last moments with loved ones; her daughter wrote telling my mother that her mother was so thrilled to attend the reunion and that it brought her great comfort to know she had met her work friends one more time. She slipped away in the arms of her loved ones, her funeral was held this past week.

That's how life goes sometimes; sad but also loving.

Footnote: one of my mother's early co-workers at the Principality was the big Welsh Euro-lotto winner, she and her family shared a few million. My mum and she shared so many giggles - it's clear to me that they got along like two peas in a pod. Needless to say, the lotto winner won the raffle at my mum's reunion! My mum said she wanted to rub her hands over her to get some of her luck!

Can't report that it has definitely worked yet. But Welsh mum has all her faculties, is sharp as a button/needle, and churns through crosswords at a frightening rate; I have to put up with her when the British crossword magazines she relies on so heavily are late arriving!