Volunteers keep our seniors cozy through the cold

At CatholicCare we want to make sure all people, particularly those most vulnerable feel supported and valued irrespective of age, beliefs and abilities.

So we were delighted when a group of generous women, led by Kay from Mount Gilead Estate near Campbelltown, took up a challenge to spread care and cozy-ness in the community by knitting blankets for our senior Home Care clients right across Sydney.

Donning their knitting needles and yarn, they’re producing colourful squares by the hundreds. Each blanket is hand-wrapped for clients and takes dozens of hours to create.

Some members of the group have been knitting together for up to 10 years and are proud that they are able to help others through something that also gives them so much joy.

“I’m Barbara and I’ve been here at Mount Gilead estate for 10 years and in that whole time I’ve been involved in the knitting group.

“I’ve been knitting since I was eight years old. For me, these acts of kindness give you a feeling of worth that you are bringing some love and care to someone else. It’s also a material thing that they can actually cherish.”

Glenys has been knitting since she was 10 years old “I think it brings joy to the person who is doing the knitting but also to the person who is receiving it, especially in the winter time when it’s cold.”

One very happy recipient of these heartfelt blankets is Barry.

Barry is 85 years young and receives CatholicCare Home Care services to help him continue to live independently at home. In the last few years Barry lost his beloved wife and little dog, and now lives at home alone. The blanket was a lovely gesture that gave him not only warmth, but also comfort knowing there are people out there that care.

CatholicCare volunteers have also been supporting seniors through the pandemic with regular phone calls to check in and make sure they are doing okay.

Through the peak of the crisis, many seniors cancelled their Home Care support services due to concerns for their health which unfortunately contributed to increased levels of isolation and loneliness. To combat this, we increased the number of phone calls made by our Wellbeing Volunteers and began mailing care packages filled with recipes, stories and fun activities such as crosswords and puzzles to help them stay engaged while they are at home.

 If you would like to volunteer your time to help seniors in your community, or if you yourself or if you know any seniors who may need support at home, please call us on 13 18 19 or contact us online.