Media Enquiries
Media Release
Jonathan Ross fronts Contact the Elderly’s BBC1 Lifeline Appeal
Isolated Older People Yearn for Weekend Companionship
Social Group Activity for Older People has Proven Health Benefits
Reaching Isolated Older People – Report April 2008
Case Studies
“Contact the Elderly has made a real difference to my life”
“Being part of this group has improved my health”
“I now have a reason to carry on living”
“It’s been 30 years since someone told me they missed me”
Film Clip
See the benefits of Contact the Elderly and hear what some of our referrers think - please click here
Peggy’s story
“Contact the Elderly has made a real difference to my life”
Peggy is an 87 year old member of a Contact the Elderly group.
She is not able to get out very much, but this does not dampen her enthusiasm for life.
She sums up her feelings by saying “Contact the Elderly has made a lot of difference to my life. I have no family nearby and it has given me the opportunity to meet people and go out to different places. The Contact the Elderly teas are a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon and it’s a great comfort to older people to have a regular monthly outing to look forward to.”
Ada’s story
“Being part of this group has improved my health”
Ada, who is 87 years old, was one of the first female bus conductors in London, a job she enjoyed immensely. She remembers driving past the Ritz dreaming of one day going in, so when the group was taken to the Ritz it was truly a dream coming true.
Ada says Contact the Elderly is the best thing that has ever happened to her and feels it transformed her life, and so introduced an isolated friend to the group and both have experienced improvements to their health and well-being. Ada says she now makes sure she goes to the doctor as soon as she feels something is coming on as she does not want to go into hospital so she misses an outing.
Stanley’s story
“I now have a reason to carry on living”
Stanley is 92 and disabled due to asbestos poisoning, and says without Contact the Elderly he would not get out as he cannot travel on his own.
He has made some new friends through the group and through some of these new friends he was recommended a luncheon club during the week, which he now attends with the other members. Says his schedule is now so full that he can’t fit any more in!
Stanley has also started to exercise, as with something to look forward to he feels he has a reason to carry on going.
Ivy’s story
“It’s been 30 years since someone told me they missed me”
Ivy, who is 92, had been on the waiting list to join a Contact-the-Elderly group for a year, finally a place was available and she attended her first two tea parties. Although she felt a bit shy, she enjoyed dressing up in her 'good clothes' and listening to all the chat and laughter. She missed the third month as she was not feeling well. When she arrived at the next party, another group member called over to her, "Where were you last month Ivy, we missed you". Ivy burst into tears. Everyone was trying to comfort her, and find out what was wrong. When she was settled in a chair with a cup of strong tea, she said, "I'm so sorry to cry like that but it has been 30 years since anyone told me they missed me".
