"Without Hanna, I don’t know what I would do"
Irene, 91, received help with her loneliness from the Red Cross friendship program. “A person needs someone to spend time with and talk to,” she says.
Widowed, Irene moved from Estonia to Finland at the beginning of the millennium when her 95-year-old mother was hospitalized.
– The hospital called to say that my mother had been taken there. I thought then that my mother wouldn’t live much longer. I’ll stay in Finland for a while and then return to Estonia to be with my son and grandchildren.
Time passed. Thirteen years after moving to Finland, Irene faced unexpected sorrow: her son passed away.
– When my mother also died, I was left completely alone.
Irene’s connections with relatives had broken, and many remained in her old homeland. Loneliness felt especially crushing during the holidays.
– A person needs someone to spend time with and talk to.
Irene called the Red Cross and spoke about her loneliness. That’s how a volunteer friend, Hanna, came into her life.
– Without Hanna, I don’t know what I would do. You can talk about anything with Hanna. It’s so easy to be with her.
Irene and Hanna meet twice a month. They have coffee, and Hanna helps Irene with everyday tasks, filling out forms, and with technical devices.
– The days when Hanna visits are like a holiday for me, Irene says with a smile.
You can see Irene’s story on November 22 at 8 PM in the “Just Life: Red Cross Day” episode on Nelonen and Ruutu.
