“My husband died three and a half years ago but he'd been in a nursing home for a couple of years before he died. I have a daughter and three grandchildren - one of whom lives with me and I couldn't do without him - but I did feel lonely. Assist has taken the edge off that for me. At one stage I was very fed-up with life but I feel so much better now.” (Member, 75)
Testimonials
“It’s good for our mental health, sometimes I can come in feeling a bit down but coming stops the loneliness and depression. Assist is of real value to me and the volunteers deserve recognition for what they do, I feel they know people personally and I know that they care.” (Member, 80)
“I’m not under any pressure as a volunteer. I take it seriously and try to be consistent yet flexible but it’s good to feel that I can say “I won’t be in”. I might have drifted into it but now Assist feels like my second home. I’ve made friendships with the people I phone - even though we may not visit each other, we’ve been talking for years and have grown old together.” (Volunteer, 86)
“I was in the house on my own, couldn’t even get out of bed. Then Stephen (my son) suggested to come to Assist. When you’re working, you meet people, but it’s harder when you get old. I come for the company. We do learn (at exercise class), but we have a laugh as well. Jackie (volunteer driver) comes and helps me get in the car, she’s very caring!” (Member, 86)
"I love volunteering at Assist. I've met some great people, we always have a good laugh and I feel good knowing that I'm making a difference to my communitity." (Volunteer, 57)