6th October 2026
Positive Ageing Month is an opportunity to celebrate the valuable contribution older people make to our communities. Jackie Corr, 83, is a wonderful example of positive ageing in action.
What began as a chance conversation with hospital volunteers led Jackie to become a befriending volunteer at Loane House in Dungannon, where he has formed friendships, shared memories and brought companionship to residents. His story highlights how volunteering can enrich the lives of both those who give their time and those who benefit from it.
“Earlier this year I was visiting Craigavon Hospital when I spotted and got into conversation with a couple of ladies wearing Volunteer inscribed waistcoats. They told me that their main function there was to help visitors to the hospital find their way around and suggested that I give it a try. My reply was that I would be useless directing people there as it would take months, maybe years, for me to learn to find my own way around the corridors, nooks and crannies of CAH and anyway I would be too old to embark on such an activity. When one of the ladies enquired of my age and on admitting that I was 83 she said “ that’s not too old, I’m 85 myself. And anyway there are more ways of volunteering than showing people around – go for it!
“So I went for it and ended up befriending residents, mostly contemporaries, of Loane House in Dungannon. There I discovered that, despite my initial trepidation of being treated as a nuisance by the staff, I was welcomed. I also discovered that the residents were pleased to chat with someone their own age.
“My first chat was with a gentleman who at the outset stated that he had nothing to talk about. However, it turned out that he had plenty to talk about and seemed to enjoy our chat.
“Over the months that I have been visiting I have developed a friendship with some of the longer stay patients and look forward to my weekly visits. Of course, in a rural area one will come across neighbours or people who I can connect with through shared memories or shared knowledge of “auld residenters” of the locality. As one of the nurses said to me one day, “you are getting as much out of your reminiscing as the residents are”. I can agree that there is some truth in that.
“One can find a bit of humour and some hilarious characters among the patients, such as the lady who seemed to have a dislike of one of the other patients. Pointing to the old lady in the far corner of the ward “ Do you see that blade over there; she thinks that she’s better than the rest of us, putting on that face paint, powder and stuff every morning”.
“As long as I’m fit, I will continue with and enjoy my weekly visits to Loane House.”
Jackie Corr, aged 83, Befriender Loane House
83 year old Jackie Corr and HCA Orlaith Cullen