The front line of care
Issues surrounding care reform are in the spotlight as Andy Burnham recently announced his commitment to ‘expending quite a lot of political capital’ to fix adult social care.
Our new Prime Minister also talked about his own father’s Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. It is good to have this acknowledgement of the enormous need amongst our older generation in the UK.
The ElderLink Team see first hand that a major problem for our ageing population is social isolation and loneliness. As we visit and pray for the 40 older members on our Befriending Scheme, we are encouraged by the real relationships that have developed. Over time we see change as we gain the trust and confidence of isolated individuals, from opening up about deeper worries to becoming grateful for prayer, sometimes when this has not featured in their lives previously.
This summer, we have been to the homes of each of our scheme members with a dessert and a Bible verse postcard, as well as the usual activity pack we offer each month. It is good to touch base with everyone, especially in a heatwave, and we bring bottles of ice-cold water on the hottest days.
Our work also involves attending funerals, contacting scheme members’ families, and networking within the community for local referrers and services to whom we can signpost our members. The Befriending Scheme has grown by 25% this year as the Lord has provided for us. This summer we have been out leafleting south east Birmingham where we operate to let people know about the service we offer, and we are hopeful that this rate of growth can continue into the next 12 months.
Julie has been volunteering a day each fortnight with us for almost 4 years. She explains, ‘It is a blessing to be invited into scheme members’ homes to be a friendly face and to chat with them. For many it is their only source of Christian contact. I hope we are a blessing to them. It is special to be able to talk about Jesus in a natural way and most are happy for us to pray with them. We learn a lot about them and their past lives which is lovely. I am sure they look forward to us going and that is a good reason to keep up contact.’
A gentleman who became a member in January said, ‘It is very nice to have someone to see me and have a chat. All of the team are very nice. I look forward to the visits. I do go out but I really appreciate the visits as I have no family visiting.’
Jesus is the answer to our broken lives and broken care system and it is a privilege to be able to minister amongst older people with this hope.
Catherine Tresham, ElderLink Manager
