Care & Repair: Free DIY jobs for Older People

“I can’t believe that someone helps me and doesn’t charge for it. It feels like winning the lotto!” Said Mary from Cork who had her windows cleaned and garden tidied up by Care & Repair volunteers in February. “The lads are lovely. I wish I could adopt the two Tony’s that called. They even stayed on for a cup of tea afterwards which was lovely”

Mary’s husband Dominic was a passionate gardener. Mary has limited mobility and after Dominic passed away the garden became wild and overgrown. Not only did this look shabby and cause practical problems, it was also sad to see Dominic’s work undone.

Mary heard about Care & Repair through her local Meals on Wheels service and was thrilled to hear that we would help get the garden back in good shape. This is just a small example of the huge difference a little extra support can make in the life of an older person who doesn’t have family around to help them.

Mary is just one of thousands of older people who have received the Care & Repair service throughout Ireland already in 2017. It’s easy to produce numbers to describe the service but comments like that from our clients are what really get to the heart of what we do for people.  

It’s is the effort, dedication and passion of our staff, volunteers and community partners that enables us to help keep our vulnerable older people safe at home. All year round volunteers from Age Action’s Care & Repair programme do DIY jobs for older people free of charge. Jobs that volunteers can do include gardening, moving furniture, putting up smoke alarms, small repairs and small painting/decorating jobs.