Here at Ballymena Today we feel that it is important to highlight and talk about different organisation which might be helpful for you or your family. We also want to thank and celebrate the organisers and volunteers who help with these tasks.
Good Morning Northern Ireland Network
One organisation which we would like to highlight is the Good Morning Northern Ireland Network.
The Good Morning Northern Ireland Network is a community based telephone support for Older Persons and Vulnerable Adults. It runs in Ballymena under the name Good Morning Ballymena.
What do we mean by Phone Support?
Good Morning is a free, community based telephone support service for older and vulnerable people, supporting them to remain independent in their own homes. It provides daily phone calls, alerting others if a call is not answered, thus providing service users and their families with peace of mind. In addition, the service provides telephone support, enabling users to share worries and concerns and connecting them with local community activities and services.
Here is some more information from their website:
The Good Morning NI Network has a membership of 22 Good Morning services throughout Northern Ireland. It is required to provide a coordinated and sustainable approach to service provision, giving due regard to the distinctiveness of each service. It provides guidance, support, information and training to its membership, and also acts as an alert service should a call be unanswered.
If you would like to register for a call please click here to visit the Good Morning Ballymena webpage or call 028 25640720.
Thank you to the volunteers who man this important service. Here is a story which illustrates how important this service could be.
Volunteer helps save pensioner’s life
Nestled amongst the hustle and bustle of Strabane town is a local charity run service called Good Morning Strabane. They are situated in a small office in St. Patrick’s Hall; this is a service few ever get to see.Day in day out, 14 volunteers over the course of Monday through Friday, call over 90 clients, chatting to each one for a few minutes to see how they are keeping and to talk about the day ahead. For most days the case is the same, nothing ever out of the ordinary and no concerns.
On one day at the end of November however, this was not the case. A volunteer routinely called an 83 year old client to talk about how he was doing. When the client answered the volunteer instantly knew something was wrong. The client was deeply out of breath and struggling to breathe. With the care and quick thinking of the volunteer, they knew the client needed medical attention. They rang the emergency services and explained the situation. They reassured the client and keep the situation under control. The emergency services took the client to hospital, where he received the medical attention he needed.
Since then, the client is now at home, resting and doing very well. The client cannot thank the service enough and is more than grateful for the care and help received from the volunteers on the day. This situation could have been a lot different if this service was not in place.
Make sure that you #ShareTheConversation if you know anyone for whom this would be valuable and, again, thank you to all the volunteers and workers that help Good Morning Ballymena to run smoothly.