Yesterday afternoon I attended the Age Concern Christmas function to thank all the home visitors and other volunteers who work with Age Concern in providing services to the older people in this region. I am a member of the Age Concern Executive Committee and have to say that I really enjoy working with this organisation. Like all community organisations, they are seriously underfunded yet they achieve an amazing amount of work despite this. The committee meetings are always a pleasure - mainly because they are so well organised and run very efficiently. And every single person within the organisation has a real passion for the work they do. The Elder Abuse & Neglect service is, sadly, a very much needed service in our community which generally is not well-known. Child abuse hits the headlines, yet elder abuse is certainly prevalent - a very sad indictment on the sort of world we live in. If you have concerns about anyone you know, or just need to have a private chat with the EAN staff, do please call. Elder Abuse & Neglect have a completely seperate number to that of Age Concern and all calls are confidential. The phone number is (06) 355-2270.
On a happier note, the function yesterday was a lot of fun and we were privileged to have the local Dutch Choir along to sing for us. I didn’t know Palmerston North had a Dutch Choir! They were dressed in costume, complete with clogs, and are a real pleasure to listen to. I carried my happy mood with me to the Economic Well-Being Committee meeting at council at 7.30pm.
