Older people's support charity sees massive spike in contacts during pandemic 

Alone saw soaring rates for services including telephone support and its befriending services. File picture

A charity that supports older people to age at home received 1,100 calls a day at the peak of the pandemic and saw soaring rates for services including telephone support and its befriending services.

Alone said it received almost 42,000 calls to its national support line from March 9 to the end of December last year and at its peak it reached 1,100 calls in one day.

Alone supported 14,800 people on an ongoing basis in 2020 a huge 174% increase compared to the figure for 2019, while it saw a 600% increase in telephone support and a 700% rise in the use of its befriending services.

It also increased its number of volunteers to 2,940, up almost 1,000, while almost 1,100 older people were supported with smartphones and tablets and 700 dinners were delivered during Christmas week.

Positive Ageing Week

The figures are contained in the Alone 2020 annual report, launched at the start of Positive Ageing Week.

The charity maintained its services daily all through 2020, despite the challenges of Covid-19, and in his CEO foreword, Sean Moynihan said: "Alone decided to stand up and be counted.

“Our focus remains with older people and we always ensure to respond in line with our vision, mission, values and our strategy. We will now turn our focus to growth and quality of service so we can continue to support and empower as many older people as possible across Ireland.” 

Joe Sheehy, chairperson of Alone’s board of trustees, said: “We have achieved great things as an organisation during the past year and most importantly we have reached more older people than ever before in 2020."

The charity also remembered those who lost their lives during the course of the pandemic.