The festive season can often magnify feelings of loneliness and isolation, particularly among the elderly.
When 95-year-olds Fred and Doris Thomson called 999, constable Stu Ockwell in Manchester, he feared the worst.
However, according to The Metro, when he arrived he found that the pair were just looking for someone to talk to.
Stu told ITV: “We expected to find somebody probably that had had a fall out of bed or a fall out of their chair or who could have had a more serious medical condition.
“So finding someone who just wanted to talk, that hadn’t phoned the police to waste our time – they’d phoned the police maybe out of desperation or wanting someone to speak to.
“We’d do it all day long.”
Stu explained that since Fred had turned blind, Doris was struggling to look after him and finding it hard to cope.
He continued: “The lady’s husband has gone blind and she struggles to look after him.
“It was out of desperation, really. She isn’t very well herself.
“I went down to see them and had a cup of tea with them. They were telling me war stories.”
Fred added: “It was a nice change to have somebody to talk to.
“I was very pleased to know there was help about and pleased to talk to them because sometimes you can be a bit isolated as you get older but they made me feel at home.”
Sometimes a cup of tea and a chat can work magic.
