Some examples of our calls

Norman from Brighton is a man of 50 with learning difficulties. When his mother died 6 years ago, although supported by social services, he was incapable of the most simple tasks. How would he know what filling to put in his sandwich? How could he dry his socks when it was raining? How could he come to terms with the loss of his beloved mother? Norman called us regularly and over the years we have empowered him to help himself. He now has a job in a supermarket, goes to a maths class and has learnt calligraphy. He now calls on an occasional basis and never fails to thank us for being there for him.

Tracy, a lady in her thirties, suffers with severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder to the extent that she cannot leave her home, throw anything away or eat anything she hasn’t cooked herself. She lives in her room in squalor and is wasting away. Her family is dysfunctional and her mother can be heard screaming in the background. Social services have more or less given up on her, but we provide a lifeline. She is listened to. We can’t change her appalling existence but she has said after talking to us she feels better for a few hours and maybe even gets some sleep.

Mrs B who is a lady in her 70s called only once. Her husband of 50 years had died a few days prior to her call. She had sat shiva and been surrounded by family and friends. Then the shiva ended and everyone went home. It was 10.30 at night, too late to call anyone close to her, and she couldn’t face going to bed. We talked for an hour, she reminisced about her husband and talked about her fears for the future and at the end of the call, she was ready to sleep.

Yossi, a 16 year old boy from a religious family fears he might be gay. He is so filled with shame that he cannot talk to anyone in his community. We talked about his feelings and his options and he really appreciated having the issues understood and not being judged.