Christmas is a time for family and friends and celebration, yet many elderly members of the Greek community will spend it alone. Stuck at home through mobility issues, alone because their beloved husband or wife have passed on, they face the possibility of a very lonely and isolated Christmas if we don’t make sure they have company. The holidays are a time when their loneliness is more pronounced; a time they are prone to feel depression even more.
“Christmas is not the best time of the year because it’s usually a time we associate with celebrations with our relatives, our friends, and for many elderly this is the opposite because their friends have passed away or because of mobility they can not go to places,” Stelios Piakis, manager of the Aged Care and Disabilities Unit at the Australian Greek Welfare Society (AGWS), says.
“It’s a time when they have memories of better times but they are isolated and lonely, and they have very good reasons to be depressed,” Mr Piakis tells Neos Kosmos.
The elderly are one of the most vulnerable groups of our community, and it’s the holiday time when we need to reach out to them the most; to let them know they are not alone. Ways you can do this is to invite them to your Christmas celebrations – “just an extra person shouldn’t become to much of a burden,” says Mr Piakis.
“Usually Greeks know where another Greek is and you may not necessarily be related to this person but if you do know neighbours who are Greek and elderly just go say ‘Xronia Polla/Merry Christmas’ to them, give them a plate of food, some sweets – that will make a big difference.”
If you have children, he says you should take them with you when you visit the elderly as children lift their spirits. He says taking children over to sing Ta Talanda (Christmas carols) makes a huge difference to the elderly as many would sing carols as children and this will remind them of their past. And of course, volunteer.
“[AGWS] always need more volunteers, we have a waiting list of clients, so more volunteers for us will mean more services for the clients and more services for the elderly,” says Mr Piakis. “Our volunteers visit the isolated elderly at their homes and without them we wouldn’t be able to offer a lot to our community.”
AGWS offers a number of services to ensure the elderly in our community are taken care of during the holidays. Through the Planned Activity Groups, they have craft groups where they can take their decorations, they get a chance to spend time with other friends who take part in these groups, have photographs taken with them. They also organise an annual Christmas lunch where they invite all the elderly.
“[The elderly] come together and sing and dance, and eat well and to be with their friends, so this is our Christmas present to them, to not feel lonely,” he says, and for the elderly with mobility issues, AGWS organises transport for them to participate in the event.
Social isolation is severely impacting the health of our elderly members of the community, which can result in irreversible damage, according to a study conducted at the University of Adelaide. These forms of isolation can lead to anxiety and depression, negatively impacting a person’s ability to contribute to the community and live autonomously.
Professor Andrew Beer, who is heading the study, says social isolation “is more harmful than not exercising and twice as harmful as obesity”.
These problems are exacerbated for elderly people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
“It is estimated that 20 per cent of older Australians are socially isolated,” Professor Beer says, and that figure is set to rise.
Currently, the Australian Greek Welfare Society (AGWS) and Fronditha Care offer services that cater to social isolation for elderly Greeks. As well as their Planned Activity Groups, the AGWS also provides a respite program which gives carers the opportunity to have a break from their caring responsibilities for up to four hours a week.
If you know someone who is lonely and needs support and assistance in accessing social and recreational activities, or would like to help in the AGWS programs please contact Nina Xarhakos on (03) 9388 9998. To become a volunteer at Fronditha Care, contact Agnes Karazisis via email at agnesk@fronditha.org or call 0418 414 749.