A phone call is an incredibly simple yet powerful way to help people feel connected with others and reduce loneliness. We call these “keeping in touch call,” or KIT calls for short. A keeping in touch call involves one person calling up another just to see how they are.
At the beginning of the lockdown, we identifed a number of people in the borough who we thought might benefit from such a call. We then went about recruiting volunteers to help make the calls.
Paulette is one of our volunteers who does this. She calls three vulnerable residents twice a week to check on their welfare and have a chat.
Volunteering is not new to Paulette. Before the coronavirus outbreak, she was involved in the Telford Gateway Club for over 33 years, helping people with learning disabilities. She also volunteered at the Princess Royal Hospital on the Stroke Wards.
That all came to an end when lockdown was introduced. So when she heard Telford and Wrekin Councils call for volunteers to help out during the pandemic she applied straightaway.
What Paulette told us
“We chat about everything, it’s so nice to chat about normal things and I love it. It’s nice for me as well, as I am also in lockdown.
I know that once we can return to a semblance of normal life, I will still keep in touch and hopefully I shall meet up with one of my ladies for a coffee and continue our chats.
I think that what the Council has done is a fantastic scheme and would say it’s also helped me through this lockdown. Just to talk and hear other people’s worries and their life stories is so rewarding.
Paulette
These sentiments are shared by many of the volunteers we hear from. Those who recieve the calls also feel positive about the keeping in touch calls.
It just goes to show how picking up the phone and volunteering can bring health benefits for us all.