Delivering Happiness

Once a month I deliver library books to local elderly residents in my small town and the outlying areas. I go to my local library and choose a selection of written and audio books to take to clients. The clients I see are elderly and don't get out of the house much, if at all. They rely on the home library service for entertainment, stimulation and friendship.

I often laugh at the reaction I get from clients when I choose books that are slightly outside their usual remit. They ask me to choose books which are a bit different sometimes, different from the stuff they usually read. And they love their bloodthirsty murders and saucy romances, I can tell you. It's not all Catherine Cookson by any means. They love their historical novels, cowboy stories, murders, romances, thrillers, you name it. I think the only books they don't go for are horrors. Try as I might I can't get them to read Tales Of Mystery And Suspense by Edgar Allan Poe.

But I often think the books are of secondary interest to the clients. What they enjoy most is the talking. We sit and have a laugh about my latest calamity or what so and so did at the lunch club. They often tell me tales of wartime, which I find fascinating. The clients are aged probably between their late 60s and 90s, so their reminiscences provide me with a fascinating oral history I wouldn't find elsewhere. They are generally in poor health but they never complain. We sit there in stitches sometimes.

As this is a voluntary role there is no time pressure and I am happy to sit and talk to the clients for as long as they can put up with me. Sometimes they'll mention something that worries them and I will try and find the information they need and pass it on to them. Working at the CAB means I have access to a lot of information, which I am happy to provide to the clients if they need it.

My clients live quiet lives in lovely Suffolk bungalows but of course they do miss out on a lot of human interaction. I try to imagine how I would feel if I couldn't get out and about, and how much a friendly visit must mean to them.  I have gained so much from doing this work. It enables me to practice my interviewing skills in a home environment and I can try out my latest jokes on a captive audience.

If anyone is interested in volunteering for their local home library service I'd say go for it. You'll make new friends and you'll make a difference to the lives of some wonderful people.