ALONE volunteers will deliver almost 1,000 Christmas dinners nationwide to older people this Christmas Day. Their volunteers will clock up over 30,000 hours in December to support older people in every community. Their staff have made over 7,000 calls to older people to check in on their needs ahead of Christmas and provided what support they can.
They are asking people to be look out for their older neighbours, friends, and family this Christmas. A simple act maybe all it takes to make someone’s Christmas if they are lonely or isolated this year. ALONE are also providing a list of things that people can do to make sure that they can help support older people:
- Ensure that older people are keeping their heat on and that they are following practical advice to stay warm.
- Check in with older neighbours, friends and relative to ensure that they are keeping themselves warm, and that they have enough food and medicines.
- If you are concerned about an older person over the festive period, refer them to ALONE for support.
- If there is a cold weather snap, make sure the older people in your life is not making unnecessary journeys and is keeping their homes warm enough.
ALONE CEO Seán Moynihan commented “This Christmas represents the first Christmas since 2019 that there has not been any restrictions on household visits. This will come as a welcome relief for many older people, who will get to spend Christmas with their families in person again. However, it can also be a very difficult time for many older people who will suffer from loneliness and isolation as well as soaring energy bills. A simple check-in to say hello could make the biggest difference to an older person and turn a bad Christmas into a good one. We have been urging people to Share the Warmth for the entire winter campaign, this means different things to different people for some it means donating, volunteering or just offering a helping hand to an older person that you know.”
He continued, “Like every charity, the winter is the busiest time of the year with demand for our services growing rapidly. We are calling on the general public to remain mindful of this and to help us support our older people during the winter.”
You can contact ALONE if you have concerns about your own wellbeing, or the wellbeing of an older person you know. Their National Support Line is available seven days a week from 8am – 8pm on 0818 222 024. Further information can be found on www.alone.ie.
