A SIMPLE phone call can make
such a difference.
A group of volunteers in Kilkeel have recently
joined the Good Morning service, which provides
phone calls for older, isolated people living in the
community.
It has been running for almost 20 years in the
Newry and Mourne area. It is funded by the
Southern Health and Social Care Trust and
operated by the Confederation of Community
Groups, which is based in Newry.
A new hub for the service is being provided by
Newry Street Unite and the Hillside Men’s Shed.
Local volunteers Teresa Kearney, Graham
Mills, Charlene Rooney and Dorothea Gray have
spoken of the benefits of the phone call service
for the people they call.
And they really enjoy the calls as well.
“I think it is absolutely brilliant because there
are people out there who have nobody to talk to,”
Teresa said.
“They are so glad to hear you calling. It’s
maybe the first call they have had in a long time,
in a few days.”
Charlene added: “I worked in the community
for 14 years looking after the elderly and I know
a lot of the elderly don’t have families.
“So when I am on a call to one of them I know
how they are feeling.”
And she also explained how being a volunteer
gives her a boost too.
“You feel good after you do talk to somebody,”
Charlene added.
“Lifting the phone and making a wee call, that
actually lifts yourself by talking to somebody.
“Hopefully there are volunteers out there who
feel ‘I will give it a go’.”
Graham learnt about the Good Morning
service from Jennifer Clements, the activities
coordinator at Newry Street Unite Community
Centre in Kilkeel.
“When Jennifer suggested that this service
was available, I thought it was a really good idea
and I met a couple of the team from the
Confederation of Community Groups and I just
thought it might be a way for us to make a bit of
an impact in the community and it is only a
couple of hours out of your time,” he said.
He agrees that a voice on the other end of the
phone can mean a lot to the person receiving a
call.
“It’s just nice to hear someone’s voice and it’s
not an automated answering machine. It’s a real
person on the other end of the phone.
“For me now, the few different people that I
have spoken to, you feel you are giving
something back.
“You are communicating with someone who
you have never spoken to before.
“They are sharing their issues and problems
with you. They don’t even know who you are, but
they just know, because of the reputation that
goes with the Good Morning calls, they are in
safe hands I suppose.”
Dorothea explained why she decided to get
involved after hearing about the service.
“I thought I would give it a go and I just felt,
like the others, that I was bringing something to
somebody’s life, joy, or brightening somebody’s
day by phoning them,” she said.
She said the key to the success of the service
is taking the time to chat and to be a listening
ear.
“We are just talking on the phone but that
probably means so much to somebody that
maybe has nobody else and hasn’t spoken to
anybody.”
Conor Keenan is the joint co-ordinator of the
Older People’s Community Project for the
Confederation of Community Groups.
He explained that there has been a decrease
in volunteering since the pandemic and added
that volunteers are crucial to the service and its
efforts to combat loneliness.
“The health prospects for people who are
lonely and isolated can be very poor,” Conor
added.
“They become disconnected, they will be less
mobile, they are more likely to have a fall at
home, they don’t therefore have a circle of people
in the community that can help them.
“And I think the phone service is important. I
am a big believer in conversation, almost in a
preventative fashion.
“I have spoken to people and they are almost
like closed off to the world. They are not willing
to engage with you.
“But if we can get in contact with these people
before that happens I think the service and the
mixture of people that you talk to on the service
as well is a good maybe replication of the outside
world and of the community because all of the
volunteers are different.
“There is no script that we have, everybody
brings their own personality, their own sense of
humour, to the calls, which is one of its great,
great strengths.
“And I think people can use that as a
springboard to be involved in the community. We
signpost people on to other services and events,
some that might be happening locally.
“Another portion of our service is we talk to
carers, people who are caring full time, as well.
“Those are people who are isolated because of
their family situation, because of the role that
they find themselves in.
“Again we can be an outlet for them but also
we can let them know of events and maybe
support groups that might be available to them
in their area and help them to feel connected.”
Conor added that the volunteer’s role is simply
to listen and if someone they are talking to has a
problem they can pass that information on so
help can be provided.
But he emphasised that the volunteer’s role is not to fix the problem
themselves.
And training is provided by the Confederation
of Community Groups.
One of the benefits of the new hub in Kilkeel is
that volunteers don’t have to travel to Newry for
training or to perform the role. They can do it
closer to where they live.
And being part of the hub, which is based in
the Hillside Men’s Shed, on Newry Street in
Kilkeel, provides a network of support as they
are surrounded by fellow volunteers.
“You would come down and do training, you
get very, very good training,” Jennifer said.
“And probably the benefit of coming to the hub
is you will have people with you, so that if you do
run into a problem or you are unsure what the
right thing to say is or you have concerns you
have got other people around you.”
It is also hoped that having a local hub in
Kilkeel will help to identity more people who
would benefit from receiving a call.
Jennifer added the being a volunteer is very
flexible – you can do it from the hub at the Men’s
Shed or from your own home.
And it need not take up a lot of your time.
“You can make it fit into your week,” she
added. “You can still have an impact with a
limited time and you do what you can.”
The volunteers would love to see other local
people getting involved.
And Conor pointed out that being part of the
Good Morning service is also good for the people
who volunteer.
“The role is hopefully of benefit to the
volunteers themselves,” he said.
“I think it builds confidence and there is that
sense of feeling good when you are volunteering
and giving something back to people from your
community.
“People who volunteer live longer, they’ll
report less health concerns, so hopefully the
volunteers think it’s part of a good lifestyle for
themselves and a little bit of time in your week
can go a long, long way and make a big
difference.”
Gerard Rocks, Assistant Director Promoting
Wellbeing Division at the Southern Health and
Social Care Trust, added: “Loneliness can
have adverse effects on our health, and the Good
Morning service offers older people and carers
an opportunity to connect with their community
and have meaningful interaction with local
people on a daily basis.
“Keeping people well and living longer at
home is important to all of us and that is why the
Trust is proud to support and invest in this
service.”
If you would like to find out more about the
Good Morning service hub in Kilkeel, you can
contact Jennifer Clements, activities coordinator
at Newry Street Unite, by emailing
jenniferclements.nsu@gmail.com or by
telephoning 028 2542 0299.
