Compassionate Neighbours: George and Chris' Story
Now in his late 70’s, George loves to talk but now his voice is barely more than a whisper.
Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s may have robbed George of his vigour, but the old memories remain strong and vivid. And when Chris visits him on Tuesdays, George’s face lights up as Chris encourages him to talk about his adventures.
Chris is George’s Compassionate Neighbour. It all started when George’s wife, Janice asked the hospice for help. She was struggling to cope, and she knew George needed mental stimulation that she couldn’t give.
Chris says:
“I was matched with George by the Compassionate Neighbours team because I said I was interested in cycling. I’m a bit embarrassed about that now because I soon found out that for George, cycling was a passion.
George told me all about his Reynolds 531 - the bike frame of choice for professional cyclists for 30 years. He and his friends would follow the Tour de France on a coach and then they would get their bikes off the trailer and ride the route themselves. He also cycled to the coast of Spain from England three times, as well as many other long treks in the UK and Europe - some solo, some with friends, and many with his daughter.
He regularly surprises me with the stories of his life. There’s a photo of him running the Marathon and he told me he did it in a record time of two hours and 27 minutes. When I expressed amazement at this achievement, George said that was his best time, but he’d run the London Marathon four times! Again, when you probe further, he’s run marathons all over the place, his first starting inside Windsor Castle!
George joined the army at the age of 15, although he lied about his age to get in. He was based in a place called Denbury Camp in Devon which was a long way from his home in Newcastle.
I started to do some research into Denbury Camp and was able to connect with other people who were there at the same time as George. I found a photo of all the lads in his intake and George could rattle off the names of all of them.
George told me that the motto of Denbury Camp was, “If there is anything more important than the will to succeed, it is that the will shall not falter.”
I think that is probably the underpinning of why George has done everything with such enthusiasm, energy and tenacity. It was clearly an experience which shaped him. There is still that fighting spirit in him, despite everything.
All the things I find out about George’s life I record in a scrapbook so he can look at it when I’m not there. It helps him to forget about his worries, for a while.
I like to think that I help George to unlock his memories so he can get pleasure from them. I enjoy finding things to talk about that make him animated, and it’s feels good to know that the scrapbook is creating a footprint of his remarkable life.
I’m enjoying being George’s Compassionate Neighbour immensely. For me it’s a voyage of discovery and the scrapbook keeps getting bigger. We haven’t yet got to the bit where George lived in the Maldives!
It’s done George such a lot of good having Chris as a friend. And it’s great for me too because it gives me a morning off! Chris texts me afterwards to let me know what they’ve talked about so I’m not left out, although I can always catch up by reading the scrapbook.
More from Chris about the Compassionate Neighbour programme:
“I used to run my own business and worked ridiculously long hours which left very little time for the family and certainly nothing for the community. So, when I retired, and I didn’t have the pressures of work anymore, I just wanted to do something practical that would benefit others.
The Compassionate Neighbours training was a good thing to do. It’s not difficult and it’s done in a nice friendly way that makes you feel enveloped as part of a community. It helps you to bond with other people on the programme and you get to know the hospice team.
My wife is a Compassionate Neighbour too. We both find chatting to people relatively easy to do and we have the space to do it now. It feels good to know that you’re doing something to cheer people up. We both get a lot of pleasure from it.
The voluntary sector is huge and this is one way to tap into it. It's nice to be a little corner of it. It adds another dimension to my life.”
