I know its the season to be jolly but in my job I see a lot of old people that are and will be very lonely this Christmas as well as being ill. Some I see
make me feel pretty upset, especially when I see them living day to day in such awful conditions. Some tell me they would love to be able to just flick a switch and shuttle off. I would like to help them but I wouldn’t know where to start. Just presuming that some of these people must hate living in the conditions they are in might get me into trouble for starters, to them its probably normal and perfectly acceptable. Does anyone in a similar position have any suggestions for helping to make someone’s life a little more worthwhile?

Community Christmas website

I get to meet a lot of elderly people living in fairly basic conditions sometimes. Many don’t see it as a problem as they’ve never known any different, but I understand how it gets to us.

Many charities help those who are isolated at this time of year. A search of the net may throw up ideas who to contact locally. Churches or Salvation Army may want volunteers, you don’t have to be religious to do the charitable part of it.

They have a xmas dinner for the elderly and alone at nearby school to me. Its a good laugh, well organised, and no shortage of volunteers…what gets to me is why arent these events on throughout the whole year rather than xmas, like once a month.

I notice that a lot …

You’ve answered your own question there bad news, it relies on volunteers and people are too busy to do this regularly. There are some good examples, a weekly one in Essex I helped at years ago that brought people from all over to a lunch club, using volunteer drivers. But funding is tight and not a priority for councils so I suspect many of these are folding.

I’m sure the Sally Army wouldn’t turn down volunteers, they have an ad on telly ATM regarding old/homeless people & how they can help.
How come I’ve got loads of charities knocking on my door/phoning about donations but not the Sally Army?
AND come to think of it, I got an info letter from the tax man saying where my taxes had gone, £70 last year to ‘foreign aid’. I’d rather it went to ‘UK aid’ actually in light of what plop pants said!

Our department is going to get busier this week as people choose to come in and get their surgery as they don’t want to be at home alone over christmas. That’s pretty sad.

Seems to me wanmankylung that may be the only way some get full attention for their illnesses too. One old boy I saw yesterday, who is confined to his house, had the doctor out but he only had a few minutes to assess him and advise on medication. By the old boy’s admission, being 88 years old, he isn’t quick enough to describe how he feels and ended up with medication that made things worse.

See, I’d be hopeless at working in social services. Our house would be full of old folks at Xmas.
(be like being a kid again only with fewer presents)