Letter to the Editor, Tuesday October 13, 2015

Don't be shy

I was delighted to read Brian Atkin's letter on October 5. He's right - we really do need more volunteers at Switzer to help with anything and everything. Simple jobs, not necessarily with residents if you are shy of old people.

There's gardening, small maintenance repairs, washing up, ironing, shopping, small sewing tasks, tidying drawers and cupboards and many more.

All our staff, in all departments, work incredibly hard for the minimal wage [a disgrace in itself], and they are patient and good-tempered, and, at the end of a shift, very tired. Willing as they are, they have no time or strength left for extra jobs.

Many of our residents are dependent, and in many cases abandoned by their families, and would love a little attention and interest [but not condescension]. Some of us have had interesting, rich lives. Okay, some of us get short-tempered and snappy when bits of us hurt, but so do you. We are all people, your parents and grandparents, not strange beings to be scared of.

We don't look as pretty as we did once, but we do our best and we don't smell of pooh or pee - our carers would never permit it. We are people and we need some help, and so do our hard-pressed staff.

I have two principle needs. One is a sound system for our Christmas concert. Staff and residents put it on but we have lost our big sitting room in the re-building programme, and have to use a less convenient one in which sound does not carry easily. Have you a sound system you can lend and operate for us?

Second is old baking tins and pudding basins. I have the use of a small kitchen, and bake and make some of the recipes we grew up with, and which we prefer, but I gave away my own equipment when I came here to live and the new baking equipment on sale is for metric recipes. I still use imperial ones from my old cookery books. Have you any old cake baking tins or pudding basins to spare?

Switzer is not a frightening place. We do not sit about in gloomy, cold rooms waiting for death. It is always full of laughter; the furniture and decorations are pretty colours; there are flowers [now there's a job for a talented volunteer] and pictures. We would love to see you and make new friends. Come and join the party.

BARBARA SOBEY

Switzer Residential Care

Kaitaia