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A POLLOK man is calling on his local community to come together to support one another after his 76-year-old uncle told him he was having to care for a vulnerable neighbour.

David Russell’s uncle has been leaving his home to shop for his 90-year-old neighbour, cook meals for her and ensure she takes her medication three times a day after her home care was suspended last week.

The Glasgow Times previously told how Glasgow City Council was forced to suspend its home care services to 1600 elderly people across the city in a bid to cope with the coronavirus crisis.

READ MORE: Coronavirus forces reduction in council home care service to prioritise those most in need

Now, David, who is a carer himself, has warned that this move has put the most vulnerable at risk.

He said: “Essentially, my elderly uncle is doing everything that home helps would have originally been doing before those services took a massive hit.

“People at the age of 76 should be isolated with no physical contact with anyone. Yet, my uncle is doing this off his own back and making sure she stays healthy. He wouldn’t see anyone go without.”

“What worries me is that this is might be happening across other communities - where those at risk are caring for people who may come across as more vulnerable than them.”

While many parts of Glasgow have been inundated with floods of support for the elderly and vulnerable, David has highlights that this aspect is missing in Pollok.

He added: “The sad thing is, is that in other parts of the city elderly people have been inundated with support but it seems to be lacking here.

“I’m basically just calling on the community to see where and how they can help vulnerable people in Pollok.

“There’s some people who have no family at all and really can’t get to the shops for essentials. Some are in wheelchairs and housebound. They can’t help it.”

“Our older generations have got us through so much over the years. Suspending their home care isn’t how we should be repaying them but we’ve all got to play our part in helping the community where we can.”

READ MORE: Glasgow's Toryglen care home denies deceiving staff about positive coronavirus patient

Council-led home care provider Cordia, like the NHS, has faced grave staffing issues due to members of staff falling ill and needing time off to self-isolate.

A spokeswoman for Glasgow’s Health & Social Care Partnership said: “Unfortunately, in these most challenging and exceptional circumstances, the effects of which are being felt across the whole social care sector, we are being forced to make some very difficult decisions and prioritise our limited resources on providing support to our service users with the most critical need.

“We are grateful to service users’ families and friends who are stepping in to help where we can’t, during this time.”

The council is currently looking to see how they can suitably use volunteers, retired home carers and social work students to ease pressure on the workforce.

The body has since teamed up with voluntary organisations within the city to launch a help hub, which aims to link people who are struggling to organisations and volunteers who are keen to help throughout the coronavirus crisis.