Elderly people call helpline to say ‘goodnight’
Mary Nally, who heads a confidential listening service, said that “many callers tell us we are their lifeline and thank us just for being there”.
About one-in-three of the callers to the service, Senior Help Line, have suicidal thoughts.
Ms Nally was speaking in the wake of disturbing disclosures, this week, on the numbers of older people taking their own lives.
Newly released figures from the coroner in south Kerry reveal an older age group make up the highest number of suicides in that area. It followed on figures released from the county coroner offices in Clare and Offaly which pointed to an increase in deaths by suicide in both those counties.
Loneliness and isolation along with retirement and the closing down of local social amenities all combined to impact negatively on older people.
“These reasons are familiar to Senior Help Line volunteers who logged in excess of 10,500 calls from older people throughout Ireland last year,” said Ms Nally.
The chief executive said 32% of callers reported suicidal thoughts or tendencies and talked about how lonely their lives were.
She said: “Never underestimate the value of having someone there to listen when you feel alone. It can make all the difference in helping to change your mood.”
She said the majority of male callers lived alone in a rural area.
Female callers, feeling low enough to consider suicide, were affected by depression, ill health, disability, family conflict and many also lived alone.
“While many people have a specific worry about health, family or finance, loneliness and isolation remains the underlining factor in many cases.
“When you have nobody to talk to, nobody to share difficulties with, problems can mount up and seem insurmountable.
“Equally, even without a big problem, life can become meaningless if you are completely alone with nobody there who seems to care whether you live or die,” said Ms Nally.
According to the CSO there were 527 cases of suicide in Ireland last year up from 424 in 2009. An additional 195 cases of ‘death by undetermined intent’ were also recorded.
Senior Help Line number is 1850 440 444 cost of a local call anywhere in Ireland.
THE number of crisis calls by elderly in distress to Alone, the charity which supports older people, has soared in the past few months.
During November and December, the charity processed more than 1,000 calls, amounting to a 50% increase in the number of appeals made to it earlier in 2010. The organisation also fears its ability to serve those in need will be hampered by tax increases in the recent budget.
Chief executive Sean Moynihan said Alone was dealing with more than 200 calls a month on average.
While freezing temperatures accounted for much of its volunteer work, it saw a significant increase in demand for its services on a monthly basis.
During the cold snap, Alone volunteers made 16 crisis interventions where a person’s health or safety was at risk; some needed fuel or food and others required medical assistance.
Volunteers recorded a growing number of vulnerable older people in distress, some of whom had no running water, no heat or fuel, and others who needed emergency housing because of unsuitable shelter.
While the number of pensioners at risk of poverty has more than halved in the past six years, and the elderly were largely untouched by the recent budget, Alone fears donations to their organisation will be hit due to recent tax increases.
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