Home care workers and 'friendship dogs' help stop elderly feeling alone at Christmas

Care workers are donning Santa outfits to get ready to give out gifts this Christmas, while ‘friendship dogs’ like Pringle are also out in force to banish elderly people’s loneliness this Christmas.

Home care workers working at Home Instead Senior Care are continuing the company’s ‘Be a Santa to a senior‘ campaign this year, by collecting donations to give to lonely, elderly people this Christmas.

’Be a Santa to a Senior’

Across the country, care workers have been collecting Christmas presents for elderly people, including from shoppers and policemen who popped into Morrisons supermarket in Barry.

A spokesman for Home Instead Senior Care said: “The customers there were just as supportive as the ones we met at Asda yesterday, even our local police donated during their brief visit.

“Everyone gave what they could and many were touched at the gesture, as like us, they think everyone should feel valued and cared for all the time, but especially at Christmas.”

Over half a million older people expect to feel lonely this Christmas

Research by the charity Age UK has found over half a million older people across the UK are expecting to feel lonely this Christmas - and four out of five people (79 per cent) have not sought any help to address this issue.

The majority of people, (52 per cent) say loneliness has become a ‘normal’ part of life.

Sadly more than 530,000, aged 65+, say they are not looking forward to Christmas.

More than 530,000 people in this age group say Christmas isn’t something to look forward to because it brings back too many memories of people who have passed away as well as happier times.

Sad life events that many people experience as they get older, such as bereavement, serious illness or reducing mobility, can all be triggers for becoming more isolated and feeling lonelier.

More than 230,000 older people will be on their own at least one day over the Christmas period (from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Day).

Half a million older people go at least five or six days a week without seeing or speaking to anyone at all and research by Sense has shown that half of disabled people will be lonely on any given day.

Many say they have no choice as that's just how it is.

The number of over-50s experiencing loneliness is set to reach two million by 2025/6. This compares to around 1.4 million in 2016/17 – that’s a 49 per cent rise in 10 years.

Volunteers can visit lonely people this Christmas or phone up older people regularly via The Silverline charity to help stop older people feeling isolated this Christmas and animals can also prevent loneliness.

Elsie, aged, 84 finds it hard to express just how much she loves having a new "furry friend" to banish her own feelings of loneliness.

Golden retriever Pringle is helping Elsie feel less lonely in her role as a ‘friendship dog’ at Wag & Company.

Ten-year-old Pringle regularly visits Elsie to offer cuddles and companionship to the pensioner who has owned dogs as pets all her life but is no longer able to have a dog of her own.

Elsie, who lives in Newcastle, was matched with Pringle and her owner Emma after putting in a request with Wag.

Pringle's visit is the highlight of Elsie's week

Elsie said: “It’s just having a dog there. You can’t express it. Just having a furry friend.”

Wag & Company, based in the North East of England, is the only charity in the UK that arranges for dogs to visit isolated elderly people in their homes.

The charity reveals its work has become more vital during the Covid pandemic, when many older people who have lost loved ones, were left completely alone after being unable to go out or have visitors.

Many people, the charity says have found comfort in visits from a friendly dog which have become the highlight of their week.

When Pringle isn’t getting cuddles and head kisses from Elsie, she likes to fall asleep on Elsie’s feet. She even has her own food bowl and special treats at Elsie’s house.

Wag & Company is calling for more dog owners in the North East to sign up their puppies to the companionship service.

"We always need volunteers, the need is really huge,” said Diane Morton, chair and operations director of Wag & Company.

“Particularly after the pandemic, when some of our communities are seeing a significant increase in social isolation and loneliness.”

Dog owners do not need their dog to be perfectly trained in order to be a friendship dog. New dogs are tested to see if they would enjoy such a role. Volunteer dogs and their owners need only spare one hour or two each week to visit a lonely, older person.

“Our volunteers become friends”, Diane Morton added.

“They have so much in common and they give people something to look forward to - a dog to love again, and someone to visit and share stories.”