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Eileen's story
A rural lifeline in West Wales, giving Eileen safe transport to hospital appointments and a friendly face along the way.
Finding herself alone in rural West Wales
Eileen is 86 years old and lives in a remote part of West Wales. Finding herself alone after the death of her husband was extremely hard for her to deal with. And as her own health declined, she was no longer able to get out to the nearest town to see other people, and as she spent more and more time alone at home, Eileen began to feel isolated, lonely, and trapped.
"I suddenly realised that I was living on my own in the middle of nowhere. I have quite a few health issues now and I’m in agony most of the time. I just can’t get out and about to see people. I spend my days at home, totally alone and in a great deal of pain."
When health & geography collide
Due to the nature of her illnesses, Eileen requires regular hospital appointments for check-ups and treatment. Having never been a driver, she found herself facing an impossible dilemma.
"Public transport is just not an option where I live. I couldn’t ever do the journey on a bus due to the extremely limited service, and a taxi would cost upwards of £30 a time. When you have a couple of appointments every week, it just becomes impossible. I’d have to miss appointments and treatments because I just couldn’t get to them."
Discovering Transport services
Eileen found Royal Voluntary Service's Country Cars service, which matches volunteer drivers with people who need support getting about in rural areas. For over 40 years it's been a lifeline for people like Eileen, whether it's a lift to collect shopping, to meet friends or to attend vital medical appointments.
"Without Royal Voluntary Service I just don’t know what I’d do. I certainly couldn’t make it to all of my hospital appointments. I’d have to decide which ones I could afford to miss, which really wouldn’t be good for my health."
A friendship two years in the making
Bob has been driving Eileen to her appointments for over two years now, and the pair have built up a genuine friendship along the way.
"I was nervous at first with being picked up by someone I didn’t know, but Bob has been simply wonderful. He doesn’t just drop me at the hospital, he takes me inside, finds a wheelchair I can use, and pushes me all the way to where I need to be to save my legs. He knows the layout of the hospital, and I feel totally safe in his very capable hands."
"The practicalities of getting to and from the hospital is one thing, but it’s also lovely to see a friendly face too. Having a bit of a chat in the car, and then having someone with you while you wait for your appointment, is absolutely priceless."
To protect her privacy, the images used are not of Eileen.
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