An essential service for these uncertain times
WHILE many of us are currently enforcing self-isolation, minimising contact with the outside world to ‘flatten the curve’, for some this way of life, this solitary existence, is a daily reality, virus or no virus.
Thousands of Irish people, of all ages, of all walks of life, live alone and live in social isolation, often going days, weeks without speaking to a single soul.
And in counties like Wexford, with its large expanses of rural lands, this problem is magnified.
In an attempt to address that, and to try and reach out to the many people in our communities who have become cut off from society, a befriending programme has been set up in one of the most affected parts of the county.
Enda Furlong is one of those involved in the service and he explains how it came about.
‘It was about a year ago, Ann Marie Laffan from the Council’s Community Development Section called us and said she was interested in setting up a telephone befriending pilot service in Ferns.
‘She had looked at the CSO stats and seen that Ferns was one of the areas which had the most amount of people living in isolated areas.’
As a member of the Ferns Community First Responders and the local Tidy Towns group, Enda, and his colleague Mary Gethings, already had a wealth of experience when it came to dealing with those within the community.
And it was this experience which saw them placed at the forefront of a service which came to be known as Ferns BFriendly and would serve all those living within Ferns and the surrounding areas of Clologue, Camolin, Ballyduff.
However, before they could begin making calls and befriending those living in isolation, the newly formed team had to undergo specialist training.
‘Ann Marie put us in touch with ALONE and told them we were setting up a befriending service,’ Enda says. ‘They gave us comprehensive training with one of their co-ordinators; showed us how to approach people, which people might need support.
‘It included everything from the introduction to the befriending, the boundaries to follow, the referral process, how to match people to the right member of staff, and they gave us access to their portal which enabled us to log calls, to see who we’d spoken to every week.’
But what exactly is a befriending service, and who is it for?
‘There may be people who are lonely and living in isolation in Ferns and surrounding areas and this can affect their health and quality of life dramatically. The support offered by a befriender provides friendship and the opportunity to talk to someone on a regular basis.
‘Our team of volunteers offer their time each week to talk and listen to a lonely person. Although friendship and the alleviation of loneliness is our prime concern, if the volunteer may identify a need that is not being met this can be passed on to the a designated point of contact.’
Entirely free to sign up for, interested parties can contact 087 1691919 themselves or be referred by a family member or healthcare professional. Consent must be obtained from the person themselves and each applicant is given a full of outline of what is involved in the service beforehand,
And Enda is keen to underline the relaxed nature of the calls, the pressure-free environment at the core of Ferns BFriendly.
‘We just talk about anything and everything; the weather, politics, sports, whatever the person is interested in. Some people are reluctant at first, we had one gentleman who used to only stay on the phone for 30 seconds: “Hello. How are you? I’m fine. Thanks for calling.” But as time has gone those calls have begun to last a little longer each time and a rapport has developed.’
Yet, in typical Irish fashion, there remains a reluctance among some people to put themselves forward for the service, no matter how great their need.
‘Some are reluctant to use it, I think maybe it is down to embarrassment. All it is a call and a friendly chat, you can do it for one week, 10 weeks or 100 weeks, it’s up to the person themselves.
‘Essentially, it’s for anyone who feels they spend a lot of time at home on their own, who’ve lost connections with people, their partner has passed, children have moved away, and think having a phone call with someone would give them something to look forward to.
‘It’s for any age group, people can be at home for any number of reason, could have mobility issues, or could be feeling lonely for whatever reason, it gives them someone to talk to during the week.
And the hope for Enda, Ann Marie and the rest of the team is that this pilot scheme will eventually be spread out across the county and eventually involve people meeting face to face.
‘I would definitely like to get more people involved, to spread it out across the county and transfer the knowledge we’ve acquired,’ Enda says.
‘We’re hoping it will develop into a visitation service, but we would need additional resources for that; insurance, paperwork, availability of time, more volunteers. But I do think some of the service users would prefer that.’
If you or someone you know is living on their own and would like a chat with one of the Ferns Bfriendly volunteers or would like more information on the project please call 087-1691919, email info@fernsbfriendly.ie or visit www.fernsbfriendly.ie for more information.