Is there anyone in Oamaru who needs a friendly voice to talk to? St John is keen to hear from you.
The St John Caring Caller service is a confidential free telephone friendship service available to the community. St John has six volunteers in Oamaru ready to support and help their fellow community members. However, currently the Callers have no clients to call.
Pam Hall, St John Community Care Manager, says the Caring Caller service contact people who may otherwise become lonely and cut off from their community.
Caring Caller volunteers make contact by telephone at a time that is mutually agreed to by both them and their client. Sometimes the phone call is a brief check to make sure the person is well, sometimes it is a longer friendship call.
“For a variety of reasons, our current team of Callers no longer have anyone to call or provide support for. So we’re putting the word out to the community to see if there is anyone who needs their help and support.”
St John Caring Callers are one important way people can stay connected with their community, says Mrs Hall. “The feedback we have had from clients in other parts of the country is that they truly appreciate having someone phone them.”
St John Caring Caller service is available in the Oamaru area. It is a free service.
If you know someone who might benefit from have a regular telephone call from a St John Caring Caller please contact Sandra Young on 0800 780 780 ext 3632 or email sandra.young@stjohn.org.nz