MORE LIVE AT HOME SERVICES FOR ISLAND RESIDENTS

A local charity which tackles the issue of loneliness and isolation in the elderly population has received a huge boost from Manx Lottery Trust.

Live at Home has been awarded £45,000 so it can increase its capacity to provide events and activities to those who otherwise struggle to remain socially active.

The organisation, which was established in 1998, provides support for around 500 members to see friends, leave their house and have fun. Pre Covid-19, it offered 40 monthly social activities and events, including lunch clubs, film and shopping clubs and group outings. It also manages more than 150 one-to-one befriending relationships, between members and volunteers.

The charity’s day-to-day operations have been heavily impacted by Covid-19 and the team had to significantly adapt the way they operate to ensure they could still provide the vital befriending, social and support services to members. Due to the vulnerability of its members, all face-to-face events were put on pause, and phone befriending took precedence. During the strictest period of lockdown restrictions, the charity’s team of staff and volunteers made in excess of 5,000 calls to people in the community, providing much-needed support and a friendly voice at the end of a phone.

With the help of Manx Telecom, the charity set up a freephone telephone number, which was available for anyone in the local community who needed a little extra support. Its telephone befriending service has been a lifeline for many over the last few months and helped the charity to maintain important connections with its members, however it is has now slowly started to reintroduce face-to-face events and one-to-one visits back into its programme.

Chairman, David Gawne MBE, explained: ‘When we applied for the grant from the Manx Lottery Trust, we were at full capacity and unfortunately, we were unable to help as many people as we wanted to.

‘The grant will enable us to develop and add more activities and events to our schedule, including return transport for those who need it. Pre Covid-19 we also wanted to increase the number of befriending relationships we foster, which bring so much joy and comfort to our members and volunteers, and that is something we are keen to get back to.’

Statistics show that loneliness and isolation contribute to health and social problems. People who experience chronic loneliness have a 64% increased risk of dementia and those with strong social ties have a 50% decreased risk of mortality.

Chairman of the Manx Lottery Trust, Sarah Kelly, explained: ‘The Community Awards Programme welcomes applications for projects which address the issues, needs and aspirations of Island-wide or local communities, from improving health, to revitalising the environment, and developing skills.

‘Live at Home truly provides a lifeline service for elderly people and have been a vital service during the past few months for many who would otherwise struggle with loneliness. At a time when everyone could do with a friendly smile and a little extra support, we are pleased to support this important Island charity.’

Live at Home’s grant application was made to the Community Awards Programme, which designates amounts of between £2,501 and £50,000. It is funded by the Manx Lottery Trust, which has been delegated to distribute National Lottery money from The National Lottery Community Fund.