Part of the roof of Brenda’s house was collapsing due to a long-term leak, poor construction, age and a lack of maintenance. Her bathroom ceiling had already fallen in. We got a phone call from Maura, Brenda’s 84 year old sister, who was distressed because Brenda, who is 77 years old, had been taking refuge in Maura’s home for the last few days. They didn’t know what to do.

When an ALONE worker visited he saw that further sections of the roof were about to cave in. We called a construction company who confirmed that it was on the verge of total collapse.

Brenda’s short-term memory is very poor which made communication difficult. She couldn’t remember her date of birth. She said she was visited by Home Help, but could not recall how regularly. Although she often mentioned how much she missed the support of her late husband, she could not say how long he had been dead (around 40 years). We secured a respite bed for Brenda so she had somewhere to stay and essential work could begin on her home.

We saw to it that supports were installed immediately to hold the roof up. We told the Community Welfare Officer that ALONE would contract emergency repairs and would be asking for a refund for the cost on Brenda’s behalf. We liaised with the Public Health Nurse and Social Worker and helped Brenda to apply for Dublin City Council’s ‘Housing Aid for Older People’.

We advocated with the Mater Hospital to push for increased home-based services for Brenda. We followed through on an occupational therapist’s report (shelved two and a half years previously) which advised that Brenda needed a walk-in shower installed. Dublin City Council gave a grant for this work. They also offered to pay for 90% of the replacement cost of the roof. ALONE applied to the Community Welfare Officer to support Brenda in covering the outstanding costs.

Brenda is grateful that she now, literally, has a roof over her head and Maura is relieved that her sister has the care and support that she needs. Maura told us; “ALONE were there to help us when nobody else would.”

This story shows how voluntary and state services can pull together, across disciplines, to share resources in the interests of older people who need support. It shows why ALONE is committed to a partnership approach in everything we do.