My Mother – The Check-in and Chat volunteer: This role provides short-term telephone support to individuals who are at risk of loneliness as a consequence of self-isolation.
- My mother is 78 and there are lots of things she doesn’t do.
- She doesn’t do ‘being a grown-up’.
- She doesn’t do moaning.
And she doesn’t do asking for help.
During this time of COVID she has lost many of the things she loved to do.
- Spoiling her grandkids.
- Line dancing.
- And nagging me and my brother about visiting more often, because she can’t because… we can’t.
She does do vaguely looking like Helen Mirren, on a good day.
She doesn’t do lonely, bored or sad because that’s for old people.
I thought she should volunteer for the NHS, she said ‘they wouldn’t want me, I’m old’ (when it suits her!) There are many organisations who provide a service of a simple conversation to those who can’t get out, and not all of those people are what my mother calls ‘The Biddy Bunch’.
My mother is now a volunteer and she loves it, she’s talking to people of all ages and making friends. Please share this post for the people who will never ask for help, but who would be more than willing to give it. Just don’t tag your mother in!
https://www.goodsamapp.org/NHS