Bored at home
Senior citizen longs to resume volunteer work
Sixty-year-old Lorna Pinnock has been feeling sad, bored and frustrated since the COVID19 pandemic. A resident of Gregory Park in St Catherine, Pinnock, who is visually impaired, said that the source of her frustration stems from her inability to continue her volunteer work on behalf of the Portmore Self-Help Organisation, a non-profit entity that caters to persons with disabilities.
Since 2007, the senior citizen has been making home visits to encourage and uplift the spirit of those who are members of the organisation. It is an activity she finds very satisfying; however, she has not been able to continue this service since the pandemic.
“I like meeting people so I can empower them. I can’t go anywhere. I don’t like to stay one place too long. I get bored easily,” she said.
Prior to COVID19, Pinnock was accustomed to doing her outreach engagement almost every day, visiting an average of 10 persons each week, and keeping them abreast of the different programmes from which they can benefit.
She doesn’t have much but she always finds it a joy to give what she has – her time. As she is unable to afford to take public transportation to facilitate her visits, she walks to the various homes.
“I like working with people with disabilities. When I see them working and excelling, I feel so elevated,” she explained.
She told THE WEEKEND STAR that she sustains herself with the rent she sometimes get from her tenants. Other times, she gets by with food and other supplies from organisations such as Food For The Poor and the Combined Disabilities Association. Over the years, she earned a living doing customer service and data entry duties.
Her only child died a few hours after birth.
Since the closure of the Portmore Self-Help Organisation as a safety precaution against COVID19, Pinnock now passes her time sleeping during the day, but this doesn’t ease her despair.
“It [sleeping] makes me feel lazy as I’m not contributing to society.”
She said that she would probably be able to cope with the boredom if she has Internet service.
“I can’t afford it anymore,” she said, explaining that she had to disconnect her Internet service earlier this year as part of her cost-containment measures.
Pinnock, in her earlier years, had dreams of becoming a practical nurse and was studying to achieve the qualification when, at 21, she suddenly lost her eyesight. A medical assessment revealed that a tumour on her pituitary gland was responsible for her visual impairment. Though she did surgery, she never regained her sight.