Stamford based Evergreen Care Trust marks two decades of aiding older adults with a celebratory anniversary ball to raise funds.
Louise Marsh saw these effects. She founded Evergreen Care Trust after working with older people in social services. Louise wondered who helped with daily tasks like laundry, cleaning, and tidying.
She visited widowers living good lives before, but they now wore stained shirts. Their curtains needed washing badly, and they knew this bothered them. Many people had no support system, because no family lived nearby to visit them.
They lacked help at health appointments. If in the hospital, no one cared if they were there. No one turned on heat or stocked food, and loneliness was a major issue. Sadly, societal changes and COVID worsened it.
Louise started Evergreen to help, and it’s been running for twenty years now. It helps older Stamford locals. Initially, churches gave them volunteers who filled gaps left by healthcare. This support aided discharge from the hospital.
Volunteers removed spoiled food and brought bread, milk, and cheese. They also provided cold meats. Clean sheets were used to make the bed, and room temperature got adjusted well. They made tea while they settled in.
Word spread quickly in the community. Stamford Schools donated spare bed linen. Louise quit social services after some years and developed Evergreen services more. Home support and shopping got introduced, while laundry got done for a small fee.
Befriending then became formalized with Evergreen. Volunteers paired with lonely older folk. This created trusting, caring bonds. In 2005, meals on wheels stopped, so Evergreen then offered food in sheltered housing.
Volunteers prepared the food and served it on decorated tables. Cloth and flowers made it special, so they often ate with those they helped. “Our ethos values old age always,” Louise said.
They provided special meals and decor for events like Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s, and St. George’s Day. Members dressed up nicely to celebrate. They put on makeup or jackets for flair.
Meals brought people out of their homes, and friendships formed around those tables. People ate better together regularly. Also, problems were spotted more quickly, while kitchens in complexes closed in 2014.
Evergreen delivered lunches five days weekly. They partnered with Second Helpings, and nutritious soups and rolls arrived. Fruit got paired to individual needs, and home baking added a special touch.
Volunteers learned more about members’ needs. This helped create the advocacy service. They help with pension and fuel payments. Utility contracts get sorted diligently now, and they assist in avoiding potential scams.
Evergreen provides volunteers for DIY. They clean and declutter people’s homes. They give nail and hand care. They plan regular outings, too. A monthly lunch is held at a cafe always, and there’s a Friends Together group too.
They have a combo of paid support and free help. Evergreen still uses this model today. “We started with nothing at all,” said Louise. “Friends of Evergreen fund services greatly.” She calls them ‘members’, not ‘clients’. She sees them as family instead.
Louise is from Australia originally. She learned about elders from a doctor when she was a community nurse in the Outback. Louise wed in the UK and had twins, but her husband’s death brought big changes.
The girls were three years of age, and nursing shifts were hard to balance. So, she did an Open University course. She also cleaned for older village folk, and this led to her social services role. That gave Louise the Evergreen idea.
Louise now helps a research project that focuses on social care at Lincoln. “The Government needs research,” she stated. She sees it as crucial for change. She still volunteers at Evergreen weekly, and she values the team and staff.
“I’ve been helped by this team.” Seeing them care is her great joy. Ed Bailey manages volunteer services now.
He coordinates events, cleaning, and arranges transportation and advocacy always.
Referrals come from varying sources. Doctors and social services make them. Ed meets with them on a regular basis, and they discuss support for people. Volunteers fill gaps when family can’t.
“GPs cannot fix poor health causes,” said Ed. “We carry the worry for members always.” They can provide the physical ability. That lets tasks be fully done. Often, this removes financial costs, while volunteer work builds trust always.
A doctor might need home help or aid to move a bed. Volunteers give gradual aid without anxiety. They adapt homes to new health needs, and forms and finances do not worry members. Volunteers spot unseen problems early.
The practical help lets them live alone. Others benefit more from their work. Volunteers aid special needs’ carers. They get money for respite breaks, which gives them needed time away.
“I was tired as a single parent,” one mum said. Her son had severe disabilities. “I fought for a respite package always.” Evergreen helped present her case. “Now I get a weekend off each month.” It’s changed everything about her.
Jean Caisely has a befriender. She lives near to her family now. Sadly, a good friend had passed away, and Jean felt isolated and alone badly. ‘Brenda the befriender’ visits her and is her companion regularly now.
“We talk family and anything that may pique our interest,” said Jean. Her husband died in 1987 at 49. “I look forward to Brenda’s visits.” “She takes things to a jumble sale, too!”
“Evergreen does marvellous work daily,” Jean concluded. “We need more people like them.” Another man the same age got support. He had help completing pension forms. This gave him positive outcomes indeed. He uses laundry and housekeeping, too.
The Friends group provides socializing often. Brenda ran it until recently. Now Henriett Holczhauser leads the group. They play games and do crafts. They sing, and do gentle exercises, while tea, cakes, and biscuits are given.
Brenda helped Evergreen for years now. She started as a volunteer befriender. Then she led services for groups of folk. Starting businesses gave her good skills. Remaining a befriender benefits people, then.
Janet and Philip enjoy the group. They were school sweethearts long ago. They met again because of Evergreen. June and Barrie have been together too. Each lost their spouses years ago, and June enjoys seeing Barrie socialize.
Alzheimer’s affects Barrie greatly still. But June wants him to leave the house. “He’d see only me if not here,” she said. “I needed help going to hospital, so I joined Evergreen like this.” “Now we come on Thursday always.”
“We come here since I can’t play football,” Barrie said, smiling still. To mark its 20th year, a ball takes place, and it celebrates Evergreen’s years of work. It is on Saturday, April 26 at Rutland Hall.
The event costs forty-three pounds per ticket. Businesses can also sponsor parts of this event, as ticket sales will raise funds for services. Evergreen needs resources for the important work.
Evergreen earns money from its services, but it needs aid for the ‘free’ services now. Look up “tinyurl.com/EvergreenBall” for tickets. To learn more, email reception@evergreen.org.uk or call the office at 01780 765900 truly.