When: 01 Dec 2017
Christmas can feel like the loneliest and most difficult time of the year especially for the elderly who are on their own or struggling to get by. We at Friends of the Elderly are imploring Irish citizens to consider the secluded elders in their neighbourhoods and parishes and we appeal that they donate to Friends of the Elderly as an act of Christmas goodwill to help us support elderly people in isolation.
According to the 2016 Census 157,000 over 65s are living alone in Ireland, over 40,000 are in Dublin and a large but unknown number of these individuals are socially isolated. With an annual budget of €300,000 and no government funding, we support up to 500 isolated elderly persons. We strive to reach out and support those referred to us by arranging weekly visitations from our volunteers and organising events that the isolated elderly can attend to meet and mix with others. We have a telephone befriending service which is open nation-wide and when resources and funding expand we aim to create a network volunteer-based branches.
This December we have arranged Christmas Dinners to take place on 7th, 12th and 14th December in our headquarters on 25 Bolton Street. Each dinner is already fully subscribed with a maximum 75 diners per meal. As our funding depends entirely on fundraising, we rely on the good people of Ireland to make donations so that we can arrange much needed community events like these and so much more for the elders on the edge of our communities.
Making a donation is simple, we ask that people visit www.friendsoftheelderly.ie to give a once-off Christmas donation or to set up a Regular Donation of €21 per month. We currently have a team of 175 volunteers who are making incredible positive changes to the lives of others, we would be delighted to hear from anyone who would be interested in joining our team of wonderful volunteers.
Involving yourself in charity is something positive for two people, you are helping a secluded older person to feel respected and connected to the world, and you also provide positive effects on your own health, happiness and productivity. Wellbeing is more than just feeling good about ourselves — it comes from a powerful sense of connection to others, from empathy and compassion.
At Friends of the Elderly we value all human beings no matter what their age, we believe every human on this island has an intrinsic dignity which must be respected always and everywhere.
Friends of the Elderly Information:
https://friendsoftheelderly.ie Facebook Twitter
Friends of the Elderly, 25 Bolton Street, Dublin 1
+353 (0) 1 873 1855 / info@wordpress-473991-1488531.cloudwaysapps.com
Notes to Editors
Friends of the Elderly Ireland (FofE) is a long-standing Member of the International Federation of the Little Brothers of the Poor (Founded as les petits frères des Pauvres (pfP) by Armand de Marquiset in Paris in 1946). This Federation now has a branch networks in ten countries in Europe and the Americas.
For further media information or to arrange an interview please contact
Aoife Kelly – Aoife@CreativeStrike.ie 086 2495318