Reaching out to the elderly of Westside

City Lives – Bernie Ní Fhlatharta meets the m anager of Westside Age Inclusion, Nichola Tierney

The loneliness and isolation of elderly, incapacitated people living alone is something Nichola Tierney comes across every day in her job.

Yet, it is not something that depresses her; rather, it is something she accepts for what it is, and knows that her work at the Westside Age Inclusion is providing a crucial service in the neighbourhood.

If it weren’t for organisations like Westside Age Inclusion, elderly people living on their own in the local community could well be living in seclusion with little or no support.

This limited company with charity status now helps about 60 elderly people a week in a number of practical and supportive ways, which bring solace and much needed interaction.

Nichola is a local woman. Born and bred in Corrib Park where she continues to live, she loves her job and continues to be excited about the service.

If there’s any frustration on her part, it is the fact that their budget limits them to the Westside area, as she knows that there are many more elderly people living in the city who could do with the service.
There is none like it anywhere else in the city, though of course many other organisations provide different types of care and related services for the elderly.

Nichola believes that what is different about the Westside Age Inclusion is that it is entrenched in the community. Not only is it located in the Westside Enterprise Centre (behind Ballard House, which is behind Dunnes Stores) but it is staffed by Nichola and other local people who have gained the trust of their clients.

It started in 2002 as part of a social economy project as a laundry service specifically for over 55s living alone. It seemed like a very simple idea at the time, but it proved to be a very practical one and one that has grown from serving 15 people a week to 60.

As it is in a recognised RAPID area, it got charity status so people could do their laundry for a nominal fee. That developed to home maintenance, and today the team tackle anything from DIY to gardening to simply doing the grocery shopping.

And though it appears like a practical service, Nichola sees that the simple weekly interaction with people living on their own relieves the isolation and loneliness.

“Life has changed. Society has changed and that means there are now more people living alone and usually not being visited by anyone.

“Some of these people are genuinely at risk with little or no family support, maybe they have a disability or can’t do the work themselves or don’t have transport to collect a prescription at the chemist even.”

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.