Research increasingly shows us the importance of remaining socially active as we get older. Being active in this way can have significant positive benefits for a person’s physical well-being as well as their mental health.
In this story, we hear how Melissa, a Quality Health Care community worker supported Edna to reconnect with an old friend and the impact this had on her outlook and quality of life.
When Edna’s husband passed away she retreated into her own world and hardly ever left the house. She had become cut off from friends and her local community and she just didn’t seem interested in getting out or participating in social activities with friends. Melissa had been working with Edna for a couple of months and had noticed that her energy was fading, and she just seemed to be losing interest in the world around her.
One day Edna was showing Melissa some photograph albums and she noticed that there was a fair number of photos of Edna with one friend. Over time, Melissa learnt that this friend lived a couple of hours away and she and Edna had lost touch a few years prior. After discussing this with Edna and with her permission Melissa contacted the old friend and let her know of Edna’s husbands passing and asked if she would be able to would visit. Betty was keen to and Melissa made all the arrangements for the two women to get together.
Despite a tricky start, Edna and Betty are reunited and now visit each other weekly. Edna has also contacted friends closer to home and her health, energy and outlook have all improved dramatically.