MORE OLDER people are calling help-lines due to stress and loneliness, according to a national helpline. The numbers calling the Senior Help Line, a confidential peer-to-peer listening service, rose by 50 per cent in the first five months of this year.
Volunteers reported an increase in calls from newly retired people, according to figures. “Callers are phoning with a wide variety of problems from financial stresses to being afraid to sleep at night because of being recently burgled,” said Anne Dempsey, of Third Age, the voluntary organisation which runs Senior Help Line. The service received 6,000 calls from January to May this year, compared with 4,000 in the same period last year.
Callers also have concerns about their own finances and those of their adult children. A number of callers say money is stolen by people working for them. Others are spending scarce funds on fuel this wet summer.
The Money Advice and Budgeting Services (Mabs) notes that the over-65s don’t call in high numbers but, “When they call, it’s about helping out adult children with mortgages and other credit problems,” said Michael Culloty, of Mabs.
According to Mary Nally, founder and chief executive of Senior Help Line,“Older people are also calling with worries about the employment and emigration of their adult children.” She said the key feature of the helpline is that older people are listening to older callers.
Senior Help Line is LoCall 1850 440444. The Mabs helpline is 0761-072000.
