AN ELDERLY woman has praised a care in the home service which allowed her to visit her husband’s grave for the first time in two years.

Doreen Ward, who suffers from arthritis, lost her husband 12 years ago and has since had to depend on the help of friends and family to get her out of the house.

But since she began to access care in the home from Red Cross Fenland, she has benefited from a personal carer - who helped her, among other things, visit her husband’s grave for the first time in 12 years.

“I was feeling quite isolated and low,” said the 77-year-old from March.

“Then I had a visit from Age Concern who suggested I might find the Red Cross care in the home service useful. I didn’t realise they did home visits but very soon a volunteer called Josephine came to visit me.

“Josephine was so kind she brought tears to my eyes.”

Mrs Ward told how Josephine visited her several times a week after an arthritis operation and helped her with the shopping and housework as well arranging meal deliveries.

“When I told her I hadn’t visited my husband’s grave for two years, she offered to take me to the cemetery,” she added.

“I gave her some money and she bought flowers for me to lay there and eve brought a wooden cross with a poppy as it was around Remembrance Sunday.

“It meant so much to me to be able to go there.”

Ian Jones, Red Cross care in the home service co-ordinator for Cambridgeshire, said; “Our ‘care in the home’ service can be a real lifeline for vulnerable people in Fenland.

“Many of our service users are elderly with no friends or family nearby, and may not get out of their homes much.

“Our volunteers are there to help with whatever they need to regain the confidence to return to normal life after a period of illness or difficulty.”

Red Cross is encouraging anybody in the Fenland area who might benefit from the care in the home service to contact them - as well as enquiries from people interested in volunteering.

The Fenland care in the home scheme is funded by Roddons Housing Association. To find out more, or to refer someone to the service, please contact Ian Jones on 01354 659724 or ijones@redcrossorg.uk.