More Women Call Life-Line

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32313, 3 June 1970, Page 2

More Women Call Life-Line

More than twice as many women as men call Life-Line for help in a year. This is not to say that women are less able to cope with a personal or family crisis than their menfolk. It means that a despairing wife or mother is more likely to take the initiative in seeking the aid of any of Life-Line’s services.

Women are now living longer than. men. Hence there are more widows left to suffer acute loneliness with its serious side-effects: more to iseek the comfort of talking to a Life-Line listener in the greyness before the dawn of another bleak day. “The preponderance of •women calling us may also • mean that many men do not ■ wish to acknowledge the need for anyone else’s help,” the Rev. W. E. Falkingham said yesterday. Mr Falkingham is the superintendent of the Central Mission, which is basically responsible for the interdominationai community services of Life-Line. He believes that husbands are usually the less sensitive to family problems and domestic crises. No Relief A mother may be at home all day with the anxiety on her mind of a young drugabuser in the family, ah alcoholic husband, her own neurosis, or a stack of unpaid bills on a spike. Her husband goes off to work and his mind is at least somewhat diverted from family troubles for eight hours of the day. “If a marriage breaks down, for instance, a woman’s whole world and all her relationships are threatened.” Mr; Falkingham said. "But a man has his other world outside the home.”

There are probably other contributing factors in the Life-Line statistics, which shows 5588 calls from women and 2080 from men in the organisation’s live years of existence.

Sharp Increase What makes one take another look at its rebort is the record number of 2589 cases helped last year (of this number 1903 were woman and 686 were men).

There were only 1000 cases fin 1964 and this figure did • not change much until last year, when the welfare group became better known and more widely accepted. How does it work? Life-Line’s first offer of action is its 24-hour-a-day telephone counselling service with its slogan “Help is as close as the telephone.” This, like all the integrated services of Life-Line, is manned by. carefully selected and trained persons—creative listeners with special skills in responding in depth to human suffering; men and women who are unshockable, understanding in mind and heart. All callers, who hear the friendly voice at the other! end of the telephone, ask: “May we help you?”, are encouraged to follow up with a face-to-face interview as soon as possible.

Trouble Team A crisis call may, of course, require immediate action. In this case two members of the Trouble Team respond to the plea at once. The desperate 'one may be threatening to commit suicide at 4 a.m„ or a mother of small children may need a haven for the night when thrown out by a drunken husband. A lad may have committed a crime and be afraid to go home; an unmarried girl who I has just realised she is preg-

pant may be wandering the streets not knowing where to turn. Such cases are also followed up with personal counselling, if required. A "caring division,” made up of a group of women, go further with the supportive role by befriending those who need it Standing behind the LifeLine counsellors is an administrative committee which has panels of experts who deal with legal, medical and financial cases. The committee itself includes representatives from the churches associated with the National Council of Churches and the Roman Catholic Church, from the Canterbury Mental Health Association, and the Marriage Guidance Council. Responsibility “Life-Line is a co-operative effort given by a wide section of the community,” Mr Falkingham said. “But it is based on the Central Mission and it is our responsibility." “Responsibility,” in this case, is a far-reaching word. It includes a deficit on expenses. Last year the record number of calls cost the organisation $8275. The income was only $2556, leaving a deficit on the year’s work of $5744. In the meantime the debt is being carried by the Central Mission’s social service account. No Charge “It is extremely urgent : that Life-Line should become self-supporting and the committee is giving a great deal of thought to ways of increasing funds.” Mr Falkingham said. No charge is made for its services.' A limited number of staff have to be paid, however. “If we did not have 91 volunteers working for us the cost of Life-Line would be phenomenal,” he added. "As it is. the cost per person is low when you consider how many people we help through a crisis, including a life-or-death situation.” Life-Line’s expansion is proof of its need in the com munity. And it has its own needs —more money, more counsellors to train. Street Appeal “We need financial support desperately for the work; we need it from the public,” Mr Falkingham said. The public will have its opportunity to support LifeLine's service at a street appeal in Christchurch on Friday. The organisers are also seeking more collectors for the city area and ask anyone willing to help to get in touch with the Central Mission.