– You are tired of the isolation? But you always have someone to chat to or who to call. But imagine how tired of the isolation of lonely elderly people. We have therefore launched a new project – service of “Friendship”. Our main goal is to give the elderly to feel that they are not alone, that there are people who’ll call, they’ll listen. Someone care to explain the essence of the project in the Fund. – Our volunteers regularly call several grandmothers from the Arkhangelsk, Voronezh, Ryazan regions. We see how important it is for older people. The volunteers for them to become the thread linking us to the larger world.
in order to become a “phone friend”, is enough to have stable Internet in any point of Russia. Calls are free for volunteers, and retirees. For safety both sides of the conversations are recorded.
Wishing to join the service of “Friendship” to fill out a questionnaire. Then the curators of the Fund will carry out the installation job interviews and webinars about the peculiarities of communication with the elderly. If necessary, they will be able to advise activists and in the process of volunteering.
– Remember that it will need regularity, and that the communication is planned to be maintained after the end of the quarantine, – warn in the Fund.
Some volunteers of the project mutual aid #Myvesta has already stated his desire to be “phone friends” lonely grandmothers and grandfathers.
– This is a very timely proposal, says lady Anne. – Promotion of mutual aid during a pandemic coming to an end. And the habit to help the elderly in these two months has already formed. It is funny: when you decide to take a break and a few days do not take requests for delivery of products and medicines, I feel “breaking”. Participating in the project #Myvote, I not only felt useful, but understand that dealing with grandparents is really interesting. They have something to tell us. We have to learn from them. So now I’d love to be “phone a friend” for grandma or grandpa who have no one to talk to.
– I also filled the application form for participation in the project, but I treat it without much euphoria, says another St. Petersburg volunteer Tatiana. – By education I am a psychologist, so I understand that can be very difficult. Complex characters, compounded by disease and age-related weakness, memory problems, mood swings… “Phone friends” grandparents need to be prepared for the fact that they need a lot of patience and not afraid of the word – selflessness. I have the experience and professional skills, so in itself I’m sure.
– At the dawn of the formation of the Fund “an old Age in pleasure” volunteers corresponded with older people paper letters. Me too. Even then drove to the grandmother in the correspondence in the Moscow region – says EXT��avalez Vasilisa. – This is a nice, bright initiative, but life, as usual, can make adjustments. Many elderly people would be happy to speak with “phone friends.” Another thing is that, as with letters, there is an important regularity. Now in isolation there is, then there can be, and grandparents attached, will wait. God grant that all who enter into the project turned out to be responsible people.
the loneliness of the elderly – one of the main themes in the volunteer chat. Especially in its most terrible form when the older person has children and grandchildren, but actually it is thrown. At such moments, the volunteers struggle to cope with anger.
“a Woman is 90+, a veteran, lives on “Education” on the fifth floor without a lift. Two stroke, Parkinson’s disease, poor vision, cannot walk, high pressure with the attendant problems. All she has to do, and the apartment is very clean – grandma good. And now attention! She has three daughters in America and the granddaughter of Sestroretsk. And it is useless. I promised that I would go and see her, to help as much… Soon I got a call from America, one of the daughters and asked who I was. He said: “Mom is not alone”. How do not alone, if it is after the strokes was in the hospital, and it does no one come?! “I thought that the caseworker engaged in”… what does a social worker? Grandma just can’t be left alone! At her age it’s dangerous. I’m not talking about the fact that she simply no one to talk to. I don’t know how you can… Said to her: “Do you think I will be able to throw your mother after what you saw?”. No, they sincerely believe that the time I send money to my mother, it will be made whole”.
“we have Received the request for medicines. Call – the voice of a young woman. Says: “I don’t have time, you call.” In an hour responds acidly: “we Have the mother deliver the medicine, but I am not comfortable to list them, I’m driving around town ride.” You know? She travels by car in St. Petersburg and can’t buy his mother needed the pills, calling volunteers, as the delivery service!”
“the situation is Similar. A request from grandpa, but he is confused, does not remember the recipe paid or free, does not know the address of the pharmacy… In the conversation mentions the daughter, asking her phone to help out. The presence of daughter strained at once, but I guess you never know, maybe she’s a deaf-blind mother of eight infants. Anything can happen, and we are not the morality police. Calling the lady a cheerful voice wants to take her elderly dad’s recipe and Sami rang the pharmacy in search of drugs. On our request to find out at least the address of the pharmacy and provide it to us, then we’ll do it, she says she is, say, in the country, and it inconvenient to call at all sorts of pharmacies… to Say we were disappointed is to say nothing. Going morally, explain that ��s help elderly people living alone, however, ready to bring her dad a cure, despite the fact that he has a daughter (which left him alone and went to the cottage – I think to myself). But let it at least help – learn about the availability of the necessary pills in pharmacies. The lady was unhappy, the request was canceled.”
I had only one bad application. In apartment there live the grandmother and granddaughter. Granddaughter own food via Internet orders, and grandma, which is more than 90 years, forced to ask for volunteers to go to the store for groceries for yourself. And pays the old lady herself. It was an unpleasant moment. But these cases, too, lessons are learned – not to judge. All in God’s hands, he sees everything, and our task is different – just to help.”
help “RG”
According to the Smolny volunteers project #Myvote performed 16610 applications from St. Petersburg citizens over the age of 65 years, observing self-isolation.
a single reference line for issues related to mers in Saint-Petersburg: 122.
to Leave the application to receive volunteer help by phone 8-800-200-34-11, and with the help of mobile applications “onf.Help.”
the Information service system of social protection of population of St. Petersburg: (812) 241-20-57.
hotline city volunteers in St. Petersburg: (812) 245-32-20.
