Elderly mum struggling with MH and loneliness…

CoffeeFirst

My mum is 79 and hurt her back last year. My Dad is in a care home and she misses him terribly. I go over as much as I can but she often complains of loneliness. Apart from a couple of neighbours along the road, and seeing either myself or my daughter she is on her own. I recently got her a walker which has helped but she’s so worn out rarely goes out. Her lack of mobility has impacted her mental health so we went to the GP who prescribed medication. It’s early days but the loneliness worries me. 

Any ideas welcome, sign posting, etc most welcome, thanks

janer1967

Hi

I don't know what they are called but there are local voluntary groups that give buddy companionship some f2f some by phone 

Your local council of gp may know of a list another option could be age UK website for advice 

Sandy_123

Hi @CoffeeFirst are there any day centers in your area where you mom can go for an afternoon. They usually pick up and drop off.

Hannah_Alumni

Hello @CoffeeFirst

I'm very sorry your mum is feeling so lonely. When I was looking at ways to help beat loneliness for people at Christmas, I came across Re-engage. They have group activities, do one to one calls, I think they'd be great to talk to, to see what's happening in her area. 

Does she has the internet? Maybe getting online may help? My grandmother has a chat with her church group through skype every week  

durhamjaide2001

Age UK have a buddy scheme. 

CoffeeFirst

Hi everyone, thanks for these ideas. @Hannah_Scope; I’d not heard of Re-engage so will look into this further 😀