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ALISON COMYN FINDS OUT HOW VITAL THE BEFRIENDING DROGHEDA SERVICE IS DURING LOCKDOWN
STARTED just four years ago, the Befriending Drogheda service for older people has proven in the past few months that it is more important now than ever.
With so many having to cocoon during the lockdown, the service run by the Drogheda & District Support 4 Older People (DDS4OP) is offering the help, support and comfort that family and friends often are unable to give,
Paulette McArdle is one of the team along with Dave Turner, Ann Kierans and Geraldine Devin who co-ordinates over 100 volunteers making calls three times a week to those who may be feeling extra isolated or alone during this period of lockdown.
“Our great volunteers are making our Good Morning Drogheda calls from home and keeping in touch and letting people know we are ready to help in any way we can,” explains Paulette. “Being local is one of our assets, as we are familiar with the town and areas they live. Mostly people know someone on our committee or know of us through local events, they often know someone we help and feel safe and thy can rely on us.”
She says they are getting more referrals for personal alarms as people are spending more time alone.
“We are trusted and it gives great peace of mind to their families who might not be able to visit, plus we are offering advice on sanitiser, masks, warning them about Scams online and by text and phone, and we have been able to refer people on to get meals delivered by a variety of organisations.
The befriending visits were halted for a while but now some of the volunteers are calling and staying in the garden or car for a little chat.
“The older people really appreciate seeing someone in person, and even thought they are from a very resiliant generation, and are mostly compliant with the Covid rules, they are always courious to know what’s going on, and feel like they’re missing out on something if they’re not out and about,” she says with a laugh.
“We have a great number of volunteers offering help and willing to do whatever is needed, and we find that some people are anxious about Covid 19 and want to talk about it in a way they can’t with family.
Volunteers and older people are paired and learn to trust and even love and admire each other. And some of the pairings can be quite unlikely!
“We have known Gerard for a few years now and he is a gentleman who is partially blind and frail, uses a stick for walking and lives alone,” explains Paulette.
“He is a very quiet man, looks after himself and keeps to himself.”
He first came to their notice a few years ago when he incurred a fine for littering.
The receipt for his pension was found on the street outside the post office one Friday morning. He had difficulty getting anyone in the council to listen to him or let him explain so he called in to the office.
“We wrote to Louth County Council and explained his situation and his apology for not getting the litter into the bin as he thought,” she says.
“We were able to help him sort out the issue and get the fine waived. George contacted us early in lockdown as he needed help to get his pension, he would be grateful for any help we could offer.”
Cue Lori McGuffin, the well-known tattoo artist, who had volunteered her services a few weeks ago.
“Lori had contacted us through Facebook with an offer of help early in the lockdown, and on the face of it a more unlikely pair you would not get. Lori with her flamboyant tattoos all over and Gerard a grey suit and tie kinda man but both genuine people needing/ offering help.”
Lori organised to collect his pension and he said “that’s all I need; I don’t want to be of trouble”.
“He is such a gentleman and even though to him I look a bit strange, he trusted me!” says Lori with a laugh. “His home help had been moved somewhere else during lockdown, so after the pension, he asked if I would collect his prescription, then bring washing to the launderette, then sew the hem on his trousers, so we are definitely firm friends now, and I’d do anything for him!” And it’s the little things that mean a lot. “We have a new lady to our Good Morning Drogheda Call service, who was recently bereaved - her husband died of Covid 19 at the end of April - and was in a nursing home and she did not get to see him for two weeks before he died” adds Paulette.
“One thing that was really upsetting her was her gates which needed painting, her husband was very proud of keeping the gates in perfect condition and regularly painted them. Seeing them in a poor state distressed her and added to her grief. We were able to get our Care and Repair team to go and paint the gates last week and take that little distress away for now.
“It is a small thing to do to ease her pain. We are always glad to help in any way we can even if not the most obvious ways”.