ALONE, the organisation that supports people to age at home, received over 1,100 calls to its COVID-19 helpline on Saturday, March 28, following the introduction of cocooning measures for people over the age of 70 and those who are extremely medically vulnerable to the virus.

The charity has said it is adding more staff to its helpline due to high demand.

The national helpline, which is operating in collaboration with the Department of Health and the HSE, has received over 5,500 calls so far during the COVID-19 crisis.

ALONE has welcomed the introduction of practical support phone lines for older and medically vulnerable people by local authorities nationwide, which will increase capacity and resources for those who are most in need.

The charity said that it will work in collaboration with local authorities, and its national helpline will complement local authority work by continuing to provide information, advice and emotional support to older people who would like extra social contact at this time.

The Local Authority Community Response Forum will meet in every local authority area and will consist of the HSE, the council, county champions, An Post, the Community Welfare Service, An Garda Síochána, other State organisations, and community and voluntary groups, including ALONE.

"We greatly welcome the news that local authorities will now provide practical supports to older and medically vulnerable people throughout this time, and we look forward to working closely with all of these authorities so that together we can offer advice, support, and practical assistance to older people and those who are among high-risk groups," commented ALONE chief executive, Seán Moynihan.

He explained that ALONE volunteers have carried out hundreds of practical support tasks to assist older people, and local authorities will have the ability to scale this up further as demand increases.

"We received more than 1,100 calls on Saturday alone following the introduction of cocooning measures and the capacity provided by the local authorities is both welcome and needed," Mr Moynihan said.

He urged family members, neighbours and communities to support older people at this time.

"This is an incredibly difficult time for all of us, but particularly older people and especially those who live alone. We are urging family members, neighbours and communities to stay in touch with the older people they know and to provide support if needed.

"The majority of support provided will come from families, neighbours and communities, and their resilience and cooperation is needed now more than ever. Our message to older people is that staying at home doesn't mean you are alone, and we are encouraging every older person to keep in contact with the people and support organisations they need throughout this time," Mr Moynihan said.

He called on any older person who has questions, concerns, worries, or is experiencing loneliness at this time, to get in touch by calling the national helpline on 0818 222 024.

"As well as difficulties with everyday activities like getting groceries, cocooning measures will also result in lots of older people feeling lonely and isolated, including those who may not previously have identified with this experience. It is important that every older person knows that support is available to them," Mr Moynihan added.

The ALONE national helpline is open every day from 8am to 8pm. Call 0818 222 024. For more information on ALONE, click here.

For more information on cocooning, click here.