15 MINUTES

Good day Bloggets. Hope you are all well today? My blog is on a subject of volunteers. It’s all over our news right now about ELDERLY and disabled people, who are suffering from “the indignity of rushed care”, a shocking report says.

 Each year 100,000 disabled people are denied the vital care and support they need to carry out the everyday tasks we all take for granted.

Many more are being denied good quality care and support by receiving only 15-minute care visits. If carers don’t even have time to take off their coats, how can they have time to support disabled people with any kind of dignity through their morning routines?

To go out, would you as a healthy person without any disability, be able to get ready in fifteen minutes?

This is what is expected for our people. Some of the people the volunteers visit, don’t go anywhere, but they need help with cooking a hot meal, bathing or just time to perhaps read letters, see where a leak is coming from or sort out washing bedding and then, after removing dirty bedding, making it again. Never mind time to have a chat with people as they after all, are human, with a brain and a heart.

Our Government are allowing 15 minutes, to do all these things. It’s awful really awful. This is where we can thank some churches, as they will have people who will visit, not a volunteer service, but your neighbour who genuinely wants to help. Not a volunteer for other reasons. Sometimes I wonder by the time you get through the paperwork of an official volunteer service, there is no time or at best, little time for any genuine care.

How wonderful it would be to give your time to those who may need you?

I try in my own way, when I see someone needs help, I will be there at the end of the phone, by email or even in my blogs. I receive a lot of mail/feedback from people who say that their connection with another person is through these blogs and this is my goal in life, just to let you know when you are down, that you are not alone as in spirit, I want to be here for you.

I used to do a lot of volunteering for a local church many years ago when I still had some sight and the people were so lovely and so very appreciative of the fact that I made them a cup of tea and had time to chat with them for half an hour or more.

Our church has a wonderful event where by once a year, they will collect elderly people and bring them to the church hall and there will be a Christmas dinner made for them. Our church cooked for 60 people last week and our friend told us that a couple of the people told him that the last time they were out the door, was the same time last year. For the same outing, for Christmas dinner.

How totally sad is that?

I guess what I hope to get across is this, you one day will, end up in the same place as these people, as one day they too worked down the coal mines, managed  300 staff at their place of work, fought in the army, nursed the sick and put out fires.

The people, who can’t do what they used to be able to, may be your parents, Grandparents or a neighbour.

May be we could all think about this for a short while and even for half an hour once a week, give some time? Then one day when it is your turn to be in a similar place, someone will be there for you.