Letter from the editor: It's good to talk '“ so make the time

Surely I cannot be the only one who sees or hears of an appeal for volunteers to help with a worthy case and thinks 'I hope they get people to come forward'.

And then does nothing about it.

It’s so easy with the busy lives that we all seem to have nowadays to say that we’ve not got time – but we still want others to step up and respond to appeals for help.

This week it was a plea from the Royal Voluntary Service to help out for a few hours a week with a club for elder members of the community in Denny.

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It’s frightening to hear the statistics about how many old people go for days at a time without seeing anyone.

Yes it’s great that advances in medicine and improved lifestyles are resulting in people living longer, but what’s not so good are the changes in society which have left many of the older generation alone.

Years ago I was in hospital over the New Year period and the elderly woman in the bed opposite was fit to go home but her family had all gone off on holiday so there was no-one to look after her.

Yes, I can hear you say what about council carers but no doubt their service was as stretched then as it is now.

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Growing old is something that is inevitable. However, the idea of being old and lonely is one most of us don’t want to contemplate.

We can learn a lot from the older generation, but we have to take the time to talk to them to gain any insight into their experiences.

Which is why whether it is five minutes or an hour, it’s worth giving up the time to have a chat and perhaps make someone’s day brighter.