Age Action’s Care and Repair service is dedicated to helping older people with home maintenance tasks. The Care & Repair team, comprised of professional handypeople and volunteers, helps with various chores, including small repairs and maintenance tasks. From changing light bulbs to doing small modifications for easier wheelchair access, the service aims to assist people in maintaining independence and safety within their homes.
This is Maureen’s story; she is just one of 1,700 people that Age Action helped through our Care & Repair Service last year. “I am very active, I’m involved in many community activities, social groups, and I’m a volunteer. I always think you can measure your social life by counting how many cups of tea you have outside of your house – and I have a lot of cups of tea elsewhere every day! But the reality of ageing just creeps on you. My body was getting older, and, at first, I wasn’t admitting it to myself. I started wondering why I was breaking so many glasses, it was like they were dropping out of my hand it took me a while to realise – my hands were losing their strength. Then I slipped getting out of the shower, I didn’t tell a soul at the time, but I knew I needed to do something. The problem with getting work done is that it’s hard to find a tradesperson to return your call in the first place and then when you do it’s difficult to know who to trust. It’s hard to get a quote for a job and you certainly won’t get anything written down on paper. Sometimes tradespeople treat me like I don’t know what I’m talking about – but there is nothing wrong with my mind.
When you live alone, you also feel vulnerable about having strangers in your home. When first I met John, one of the Age Action Handymen, I felt like I could trust him. I showed him all those things that were becoming trickier – pulling myself out of bed and navigating the stairs. He installed hand and stair rails around the house, and I felt a such weight lift off my shoulders. I remember telling him, thank goodness you’re here. I have lots of life in me yet, I’m still out and about every day – I’m certainly not ready to just sit by the fire with a blanket over me just yet! I just needed a bit of a helping hand to manage.
This has been my home for 30 years; I have moved house in the past and it can be traumatic. My plan now is to stay here in my own home and Age Action is part of that plan.”
Maureen Cullinane – Co. Cork.
Care & Repair Recipient.
