Dear LPG, 

I remember reading this idea in a copy of the Lewisham Pensioners Gazette some  years ago, when it was a much  smaller news sheet, and I think that the idea is worth repeating.

Perhaps because of the overwhelming amount of darkness and coldness that winter offers in abundance, we elders tend to spend lots more time than usual at home alone. The result of that is that we become more isolated. and in many cases, a lot lonelier.  Taking away the emotional toll that the resulting bouts of solitude can have there is also the risk that, because it could be that we have to spend days on our own, accidents can happen that no one is aware of.  The services that so many elders had which involved a regular visit have all been taken away.  I am thinking of services like meals on wheels which involved a daily visit and someone to talk to albeit for a really short while. 

The article I am referring to suggested that friends, neighbours, and even older family members pair up and make a commitment to phone each other on alternate days.  A quick call will provide the opportunity to talk to each other, even if only for a short while. and more importantly,  if that call is missed for any reason the alarm can be raised.  During all weathers accidents occasionally happen; people fall and find themselves immobile on the floor, unable to get to their feet to reach the phone or their link line button, and we have all heard stories of people who find themselves in pain and in this situation for days.   A phone call that is not answered is a way to make sure that everything is OK with your phone buddy or you if the situation is reversed.  So even if you have little to say to each other at first, just being able to talk about your day for a few minutes makes all the difference. 

When I first read this idea in that paper version of the LPG, I was at my day centre and we organised ourselves in pairs.  We started by agreeing to make and receive a telephone call at the same time each evening and yes we had little to say to each other at first, but over the past three years, my so-called phone buddy and I have become firm friends and we talk about everything really.  It is surprising how much difference looking forward to something as simple as a telephone call makes to a day when you don’t get out,  especially if you don’t have any family you can depend on to keep in contact with. 

I have left it quite late in the year to remind readers about this idea and while I think that it is never too late, I hope that LPG can repeat the message at about the time that the clocks go back each year.

PC,  Brockley