Share your presence this Christmas – ALONE highlight isolation and loneliness this holiday season
ALONE, the charity that supports older people to age at home, is asking everyone to share the Christmas presence byreaching out to older members of their community who may be isolated or lonely this holiday season.
Sean Moynihan, CEO of ALONE commented, “We find that calls for support dramatically increase over the winter period and loneliness is one of the main issues that people come to us for support with. Christmas can be a particularly isolating time for older people who have no loved ones to share it with. We can all be guilty of getting caught up in the rush to buy presents, but for a lonely older person, the most precious gift you can give is the gift of your time.”
Moynihan continued, “170,000 older Irish people live alone, which makes them vulnerable to isolation. This risk increases at winter when the nights are darker and the days are colder, making older people less inclined to leave their houses. This Christmas we are reminding the Irish public, to check in on their older neighbours, for a cup of tea, a quick word of kindness or just to see if they need a lift to the shops. Many of the vital services and community supports that older people avail of close down over the Christmas period, so for many older people the holidays can be a particularly isolating time where some might not see anyone for days.”
ALONE say that there are a number of ways that the public can help an older person this Christmas some of these are; calling by an older persons house to say hello, ensuring they have enough food, medication and heat, bringing them out for a drive or to a social event and giving them a hand with their shopping.
Moynihan concluded, “Thankfully most older people will enjoy a happy Christmas surrounded by loved ones, but ALONE is urging the general public to be vigilant for those who are vulnerable. We really hope that the public will support our campaign and our work over Christmas and take it onto themselves to ensure that older people in their community feel cared for. If you are concerned for anyone in particular you can contact ALONE for advice and support and we would encourage older people themselves to reach out to us if they need help.”
This Christmas Day, ALONE’s volunteers will bring hot Christmas dinners to numerous older people living on their own. In the lead up to Christmas ALONE also hosted a social dinner dance, a vital social outlet for service users that was attended by over 130 older people. They also delivered over 500 hampers full of vital supplies to help older people who use ALONE services through the Christmas period and bring a little Christmas magic back into their lives.
ALONE provides a crucial befriending service to older people who are isolated, along with providing supportive housing to over 100 older people. The most vital area of service provision during the winter months is the Support Coordination service, which deals with emergency calls for assistance as well as longer term supports in ensuring people can age at home with comfort, safety and security
For those who have concerns about their own wellbeing, or the wellbeing of an older person in the community, ALONE can be contacted on (01) 679 1032. To make a donation and help ALONE’s vital work this Christmastime visit www.alone.ie