Age Concern visits bring joy, friendship
Volunteer Ellie Smeaton wishes she had more time available for Age Concern’s accredited visiting service.
‘‘It’s just so good to do,’’ she said. ‘‘I just wish I had more hours in the day that I could commit to it.’’
Like the other 80-odd volunteer visitors in Nelson-Tasman, Smeaton, 80, originally agreed to provide an hour a week to visit someone. That was two years ago and for the past six months, she’s also been visiting a second client.
‘‘I never think of them as a client because they so rapidly become friends,’’ Smeaton said.
The visits often extend well beyond the allotted hour.
Smeaton heard about the service when Age Concern Nelson Tasman manager Sue Tilby spoke at a meeting of Hope Ranzau Women’s Institute, of which Smeaton is a member.
‘‘It grabbed my attention when she said about visiting because I do meals on wheels and I’m very aware of quite a few people who are incredibly alone; they’ve got no family, no real contact and they’re stuck at home and it just occurred to me that it would be a wonderful thing to do,’’ she said.
The experience was very much a two-way street.
‘‘I get so much fun out of them,’’ Smeaton said. ‘‘I enjoy their company – they’re interesting, they’re different. It’s very rewarding.’’
One of her clients shares Smeaton’s interest in gardening and history. ‘‘Consequently, I have learnt the whole of Motueka’s history from go to whoa,’’ Smeaton said. ‘‘She’s a joy to visit.’’
Her other client is also interested in gardening and the pair have taken up playing games. ‘‘So we sit over [the card game] Uno, would you believe, and she’s a mean player. It’s great.’’
Visiting service co-ordinator Susan Arrowsmith said the programme aimed to help prevent older people becoming isolated and lonely.
‘‘It’s all about providing good company but that can happen in all sorts of ways,’’ Arrowsmith said. ‘‘Some people just enjoy sitting and chatting, some people go off on drives or walks or outings. It depends on what the volunteer is happy to do and what the client would like, and their ability, too.’’
The volunteers ranged in age and visited across the region. ‘‘I’ve got a young mum who takes her toddler along to a rest home to visit and I’ve got quite a few volunteers in their 80s.’’
There was a waiting list of people wanting to use the service and a need for more volunteers, men and women.
‘‘All they need skill-wise is to enjoy the company of older people,’’ Arrowsmith said.
Tilby said a recent survey of members revealed more than 75 per cent of respondents said loneliness was the biggest problem facing older people.
‘‘[It’s] a very scary statistic and that’s one of the reasons we see the importance of this service.’’
Smeaton said she’d use the service if she couldn’t leave home.