Layton Thompson/British Red Cross
More than fifty years after she served as a Red Cross volunteer, 93-year-old Elsie Child knew she could depend on the charity after illness left her needing support at home.
Following a stay in hospital with a nasty chest infection, Elsie – from Godalming in Surrey – was still feeling quite weak so doctors referred her to the Red Cross’ care in the home service.
Elsie recalled: “It seemed so quick after the doctor came out that the Red Cross was here for me. Sue, the co-ordinator, visited and asked was there anything I wanted. I needed some help shopping, which I found difficult, so each week she came and took me.
“Sue also got me some knitting wool when I’d run out and I was so pleased. She’s a very comforting person. I found it easy to get on with her and, with her visits, felt I wasn’t alone.”
Staying independent
For Elsie, it has always been very important to remain independent, living in her own flat with support from a warden. As she happily admitted: “I’m a very obstinate person and I don’t like giving in.”
Fortunately, Sue’s support has meant the pensioner was able to ease herself back into the normal routine of life at her own pace. She said: “Sue is visiting next week, but that will be the last visit. She has been such a great help. I’ll be sorry to see her stop coming to see me – and will miss her very much – but by then I hope to be able to go to the shops independently.
“I’ve made much quicker progress because of Sue’s visits. I’ve been able to do more because she was there with me – I always had someone to talk to and keep me busy.”
Invaluable service
Elsie was especially pleased to discover the Red Cross would be helping her at home because she once volunteered for the organisation. She said: “Years ago [in the 1950s] I was in the Red Cross – I used to work on the ambulances and in the hospitals. As soon as people saw us coming, they thought ‘it’s going to be alright now’. It was a lovely feeling to know that.”
Looking back, Elsie commented: “I’m very glad I heard about the care in the home service and I hope other people hear about it as well. It’s such a wonderful thing, an invaluable service.”
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