Trust contact: 11,000 consultations carried out last year

FIGURES from Trust for 2009 released to the Irish Examiner show it carried out almost 11,000 consultations last year, almost 7,000 of which were with Irish people and more than 3,500 with foreigners.

The service is person-orientated, and the charity meets on average 100 to 120 people weekly (about 5,000 throughout the year) in daily journeys through the city.

According to Trust founder Alice Leahy, time spent with people can range from dressings, advice on medication, housing and entitlements, referral to specialist services, assistance with washing/showering, foot-care (extremely time consuming yet hugely beneficial to those using Trust’s services), contact with families, doctors, community welfare officers, solicitors, hospitals especially emergency departments and explanation of medication. Human contact is a vital component of the work.