Mairi Hughes discovers a charity helping people find companionship
Isolated people have found lockdown harder than most, but one charity has been providing help and companionship. Mairi Hughes finds out more.
THE coronavirus pandemic has put a great deal of strain on people across the country, with cities and towns shut down, holidays cancelled, and many events put on hold.
However, as the world came to a standstill, people found they had time to help one another.
Neighbours checked in on each other, the young and able helped the elderly and millions of people took to their doorsteps weekly to show their appreciation for NHS workers.
At the Cyrenians charity, which helps those excluded from community, the Older People, Active Lives (OPAL) service helped isolated over-sixties through the lockdown.
The service ordinarily provides hundreds of people with one-to-one support and community, and thankfully was not stopped by the pandemic.
OPAL Service Manager Pauline Moffat explains that individuals in need are ordinarily referred to the service by friends or family, or they can reach out themselves.
“Many of our clients are referred to us because they feel isolated, and are struggling to reconnect with people or their community.
“They may be living far from friends and family or have no-one,” Pauline says.
During lockdown, the service adapted to keep support in place for its clients at a time when they needed it most.
The charity provided activity packs, food supplies, online activities, and all-important companionship to isolated individuals through phone calls with staff members and volunteers.
“The schemes have been well received, and some budding friendships are underway,” Pauline adds.
Roughly half of OPAL’S volunteers are over sixty themselves, and the other half are younger volunteers aged eighteen and upwards.
“Volunteers come through various routes: college, volunteer sector gateway, word of mouth through other volunteers, and many of our clients have become volunteers,” Pauline says.
Rachel Lee, twenty-threeyear-old Digital Media and Communications Officer for the Cyrenians SCCR, signed up as a volunteer for OPAL’S phone call service at the start of lockdown.
The service aimed to match up volunteers with isolated older people for regular chats.
“I wanted to help out wherever I could with other parts of the organisation by volunteering,” Rachel says.
Rachel was paired up with six local women whom she called at weekends and in the evenings after her day job during lockdown.
“We can talk about anything from gardening to family life to ‘Murder, She Wrote’ – my guilty pleasure,” Rachel explains.
Volunteers for the service are trained in core skills such as safeguarding and boundaries to equip them for the role.
They report back to OPAL after calls to let them know if the clients need anything.
Rachel says she often found herself counting down to her calls during lockdown, as the companionship worked both ways.
“I have gained pearls of wisdom from every phone call.
“Chatting with the women has helped me have a better outlook on life during this scary time in the world.
“They’re all being so resilient.
“I’m so used to leading such a busy life, always on my phone, but not actually talking to people.
“I’m grateful to this experience for showing me how invaluable a simple phone call can be,” Rachel says. ■
To find out more about the Cyrenians OPAL service in West Lothian, phone 01506 815 815, e-mail at opal@cyrenians. scot or through their website www.cyrenians. scot/opal.